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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26090434">Don't Mess with the Assassin in Homeroom 305</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishaDream/pseuds/WishaDream'>WishaDream</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Barely Lethal (2015)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>10 things i can use to kill you, 8 rules for dating a teen assassin, Action &amp; Romance, Adventure &amp; Romance, Awkward Romance, D.E.B.S. vibes, Deviates From Canon, Drama &amp; Romance, Eventual Romance, F/F, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Finding your place in the world, Fluff, Found Family, Growing Up, High School, If looks could kill, Jessica Alba - Freeform, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Slow Romance, Spies, Suppressed Feelings, Teen Crush, Teen Romance, Teenage Dorks, Teenage Drama, Teenage Rebellion, Temporarily Unrequited Love, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love, Useless Lesbians, a lot of this is just commentary on parts i didn't like about the movie, added so many scenes that weren't in it to make up for all ones took out, all the feels, and samuel l. jackson, assassins make terrible roommates, based on a movie, can't tell real life from fiction, come on there was no way dove's character would have hooked up with gooch, dove cameron - Freeform, finding out what she really wants, her and megan had more chemistry so like all good fic here is how things should have been, hopefully it doesn't turn into too much of a rant, i remember seeing preview and wanting to watch it so bad, if you liked D.E.B.S. you might like this, its like that meme of the car swerving to the opposite exit, kiss, learners permit to kill, lethally blonde, made the movie how it should have been, my foreign exchange student is an assassin, never seen it but I really want to, no seriously, not another teen assassin movie, not like the other girls, set up for sequel, she did not give off those vibes at all, she kills people, she's all that assassin, she's that assassin, sigh, spy games, starring Hailee Steinfeld, suppressed emotions, teacher's pet assassin, teen assassin, teen spy, there's something about Megan, titles in considered since i hated the original title so much:, what she really likes, wlw</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 04:13:44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>36,478</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26090434</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/WishaDream/pseuds/WishaDream</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Megan Walsh (Hailee Steinfeld) is a teenage special ops agent who yearns for a normal adolescence. After faking her own death she assumes the role of an exchange student and quickly learns that surviving the treacherous waters of a typical American high school can be even more difficult than international espionage.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Liz Larson/Megan Walsh</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. prologue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>If you have seen the movie, this is a shot for shot remake. If you have not seen it, I have watched it twice so you don't have to.<br/>Trust me.<br/>Roll film!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The subway train rushed into the station, coming to a smooth stop as it settled into the terminal. The doors opened with a pneumatic whoosh, the sound signaling to the lemmings it was time to get in or out of the car.</p><p>
Agent W sat on one of the train station benches looking as if she was waiting for a car. She had headphones in, her leg bopping with the music she was not actually listening to. She kept a bored look on her face as she scanned the surrounding crowd, acting as if she didn’t care about what she was looking at. In actuality, she did.</p><p>
Presently she was waiting for one of the academy’s informants to arrive with a package she was to transport back to base. She had been waiting for a while. By this point the boredom on her face was partially genuine.</p><p>
Letting out a slow sigh the bobbing of her knee increased in speed.</p><p>
How much longer was this guy going to make her wait?</p><p>
She might have been trained to wait, but the impatience of youth made it an almost unbearable mission.</p><p>
While she waited, she distracted herself with something she did many times in these types of situations.</p><p>
She people watched.</p><p>
Her particular form of people watching involved imagining what the person would have been like as her parent.</p><p>
A man standing to the side waiting for the train pulled his coat around himself tighter as the cold wind followed the train’s exit.</p><p>
As her father, he would have been very strict about her keeping “warm and healthy.” He would have been the type to always insist she take a jacket with her everywhere, “Just in case. You know I worry.”</p><p>
“Yeah, well, you worry too much.”</p><p>
When he wasn’t looking she would take a jacket even though she didn’t need it, just to keep him happy.</p><p>
It would be tiresome, but better than not having a father at all.</p><p>There was a woman standing at the edge of the train depot. She held the hand of a small child who walked alongside her talking a mile a minute. The woman smiled politely as she listened, appearing as a patient mother.</p><p>
Even with other children in the house, she would make time for each of her children. No matter what problems they had, they always knew they could bring them to Mom.</p><p>
She would listen as long as they needed and offer advice when wanted. And no matter how many questions Agent W ended up having, she would answer every one. Even the ones she wasn’t sure of. She wouldn’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know.”</p><p>Things weren’t like that at the academy. They would never admit when they didn’t know something. Like who Agent W’s parents were.</p><p>
And they would not always answer the questions they did know the answers to, saying that not all her questions were “necessary for the mission.”</p><p>A movement off to the side caught W’s eyes.</p><p>
A girl about her age was running through the crowd of people, being careful not to run into anyone and apologizing to anyone she did manage to hit in her haste.</p><p>
W’s eyes moved past her to find the reason for her rushing. Was someone following her? Was she in danger?</p><p>
Not seeing anything she looked back to the girl. There was no way she was the informant. People from the academy were trained not to stand out. And this girl stood out in spades with her platinum blonde hair and sunshine smile. For a moment W forgot she was at the station and not on a sunlit hill with the young woman running towards her through a field of blossoming flowers.</p><p>
Over the sounds of the terminal she heard the girl call out in an American accent, “Come on, we don’t want to miss the train. We still have so much to see.”</p><p>
W again looked behind her, finally spotting who she was running from. Or, as it was obvious now, running ahead of.</p><p>
An older man and woman were walking quickly through the crowd of people, a small boy holding the hands of both like they were afraid he might get lost in the crowd.</p><p>
The girl was closer now, allowing Agent W to see the spark of energy in her camo-green eyes. That energy seemed to skip across the space between them, jolting W’s heart so that it quickened in pace. If she hadn’t been trained in all the modern methods of warfare she might have thought she’d been hit with something. But no, this was no homegrown weapon, but something else. Something she’d never felt before.</p><p>
Stab wounds. Gun shots. Taser. She’d felt them all, but none of them made her chest tighten like seeing this girl.</p><p>
Behind the blonde nymph the older woman called out for her to, “Slow down.”</p><p>
She looked like an older version of the teen, but even without the resemblance W could tell she was the girl’s mother as she added, “You might get hurt.”</p><p>
The warning came too late as the teen tripped over a bag on the ground. By this point she was closer to W who was trained to react quickly.</p><p>
When the girl fell she was surprised to find she did not make contact with the ground. Looking up with a confused expression she realized she was being held up by a set of legs. W’s legs, as the girl had her knees locked to halt the blonde’s decent.</p><p> 
The blonde’s eyes were as big as a cornered animals.</p><p>
Did she instinctively sense the danger in being this close to W?</p><p>
No.</p><p>
Her eyes remained large even as a smile broke out on her face. A shy smile came to her lips as she quickly got up off W’s legs.</p><p>
“Honey, are you alright?” the older woman was by her daughter’s side now, inspecting her for injuries before giving Agent W a grateful smile, “Thank you.”</p><p>
The teen agent used her training to put on a bored expression as she turned her gaze off to the side. It was best in her line of work to not form connections, no matter how fleeting.</p><p>
Still, her eyes went back to the group as she watched them hurry onto the next train.</p><p>
A man, a woman, a boy, and a girl.</p><p>
A regular nuclear family.</p><p>
Her heart reacted again, this time with pain born from longing. Longing to be as happy as them as she watched them chatter on about everything they had done and would do on their family vacation.</p><p>
More than anything she wanted that. A normal life with a happy family.</p><p>
Family.</p><p>
Hardman would say it was just another word for attachment.</p><p>
Turning her attention back to the mission she forgot about her little game.</p><p>
Her little depressing, lonely game.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Agent W gets a new mission</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Agent W never knew her parents. The only thing she knew was Prescott.</p>
<p>
Prescott being a top secret government run school that trained little girl’s to be killing machines. Trained in all the deadly arts: archery, knife fighting, hand to hand combat, guns. Anything that could be turned into a weapon they learned how to use it.</p>
<p>
Her first memory of the academy was of Hardman, the head of Prescott, drilling into their minds that they shouldn’t form any attachments.</p>
<p>
Though all the girls there were orphans, taken as young girls and babies to be trained, they were never allowed to become a family. Hardman believed having such attachments, even with each other, would undermine their training as the world’s top agents.</p>
<p>
To emphasize this in their minds Hardman had them craft dolls which he told them they would later have to “kill.”</p>
<p>
Her doll matched that of a little red haired girl’s. When she noticed this she eagerly told the girl that made their dolls, “Sisters.”</p>
<p>
Still having some light of hope in her heart she suggested to the girl that they make their dolls, “Hold hands.”</p>
<p>
Before she could the girl pulled her doll away as she coldly replied, “They’re not sisters,” before adding the extra knife twist of, “And neither are we.”</p>
<p>
Even young the red head, Agent X was hard. The perfect temperament for a top agent.</p>
<p>
Not like Agent W.</p>
<p>
When the time came for them to destroy their dolls X tore her dolls head off before setting fire to it. W halfheartedly stabbed her doll in the chest before tossing it into the pile of other ruined dolls. Later, at night, she went back to collect her doll to hide under her pillow.</p>
<p>
It wasn’t long before X found and reported the doll to Hardman. For that infraction W got latrine duty for a month.</p>
<p>
“Don’t form attachments.”</p>
<p>
Even years later that part did not sit well with W. Every day she still found herself trying to reach out to those around her. And each time she was turned down.</p>
<p>
“To be a Prescott is to be an island,” stated Hardman, “It is you and you alone out there.”</p>
<p>
Not forming attachments was really her only weakness. In everything else at Prescott she surpassed the rest of her classmates.</p>
<p>
But this wasn’t what she wanted.</p>
<p>
She wanted to be a normal girl with a loving family, like the ones she saw in the movie she secretly watched when she was out on missions.</p>
<p>
She wanted a father like Liam Neeson, who would protect her from the dangers of the world, instead of putting her right in the middle of them like Hardman did on a daily basis.</p>
<p>
She wanted a mother who would hold her close and comfort her when she was hurt, like the mother on Mamma Mia.</p>
<p>
And she wanted siblings that she might not always get along with, but who would stand up for her if anyone else tried to harm, or said anything bad about her.</p>
<p>
For years she had tried to find that family life at Prescott, but it seemed she was fighting a losing battle.</p>
<p>
If she imagined hard enough she could see Hardman as the hard father type. The one who you worked hard to impress, but never quite lived up to his standards. The type who would throw you into the deep end with snakes and alligators to teach you how to swim.</p>
<p>
On the other side of that spectrum were the female trainers. Though none as hard as Hardman, none had that genteel nature Agent W wanted. If you got hurt they more likely to show the cold meticulous nature of a medical professional.</p>
<p>
While she struggled with finding what she wanted she did her best not to stand out at that academy. But even when she tried, Hardman noticed her natural born talent. This wound up pitting her against her classmates making it virtually impossible for her to befriend them.</p>
<p>
It especially set her against the only other person left in her class, Agent X. No matter how many times W tried to reach out to her, she always pushed her away.</p>
<p>
There was one time in Istanbul when she had thought a friendship was forming, but in the end Agent X shot through her to get a bad guy.</p>
<p>
“I told you to duck.”</p>
<p>
“I don’t recall you ever saying those words.”</p>
<p>
In the end, even Agent X rejected her attempts at forming a connection.</p>
<p>
___</p><p>“Every punch has a purpose,” stated Hardman as he stalked around the edge of the fighting ring, “Strike and move. Elbow. Knees. You are not training to save your lives, but to take someone else’s.”</p>
<p>
As Agent X swung at her, W ducked before delivering an elbow strike to the girl’s ribcage. As X doubled over, W delivered a blow to the back of her neck that knocked her to the ground. With the battle done she reached out to help her up, only to have X hit away her hand.</p>
<p>
“I don’t need your pity.”</p>
<p>
But it wasn’t pity.</p>
<p>
It was never pity.</p>
<p>
“Good job, Agent W,” stated Hardman with a proud smile, “I have good news for you. You have been activated.”</p>
<p>
Agent X let out a sound of disbelief as W felt her body go numb. This wasn’t what she wanted. This wasn’t even the life she wanted. All she wanted was a normal life as a teenager: like the life of the family she had seen at the subway station.</p>
<p>
“What about me?” Agent X stalked forward, placing herself between Hardman and W, “Are you activating me?”</p>
<p>
Hardman made a hard shake of his head, “You’re not ready.”</p>
<p>
X’s mouth opened and closed as she tried and failed to come up with an objection.</p>
<p>
W didn’t have as much trouble as she thanked Hardman for the offer, before reminding him, “But I think Agent X is far more ready than me to be activated.”</p>
<p>
Hardman frowned, fixing her with a hard look as X’s glare told her she didn’t appreciate W standing up for her.</p>
<p>
Even with both of their eyes telling her to stop, she pressed on, “She has done as well as me on the tests. Better even in some cases. If you don’t realize that someone else will and you will lose an incredible asset.”</p>
<p>
Hardman’s frown deepened as his eyes told W to stop. Even X was hissing under her breathe that W should stop, “Or I’ll make you.”</p>
<p>
She ignored them both as she pressed on, “She is Prescott’s best agent and you are just letting her collect dust. Someone is going to notice her worth and if you don’t you will lose the best agent you’ve ever had.”</p>
<p>
She smiled at X, expecting her to respond well to her compliments, instead she just got a scowl as the girl told her, “I don’t need you to fight my battles for me.”</p>
<p>
Hardman also reminded her of this before giving her orders to run twenty laps around the practice field, “for talking back.”</p>
<p>
No attachments.</p>
<p>
It wasn’t hard to abide by the rule when everyone hated you.</p>
<p>
____</p><p>“Meet Victoria Knox,” Hardman put the image of a blond woman in her thirties up on the mission briefing screen, “American ex-pat turned arms dealer. If you are a terrorist who wants to kill people this is the person you call.</p>
<p>
W found herself staring at the woman’s image. She looked to be mid-thirties, a young mid-thirties, with golden skin and shiny blond hair.</p>
<p>
“Don’t let her good looks fool you,” advised Hardman, “She has an IQ of one forty and she will use it to kill you. Don’t expect her to put aside her gun and get into a fist fight with you. She’s not so easily defeated. No matter how mouthy you are.”</p>
<p> 
Though Victoria wasn’t old enough to be W’s mother, the girl let herself imagine what it might be like if she had been.</p>
<p>
She would be tough, like Hardman, but with a softness that allowed her to put her guard down during the times Agent W found herself in trouble. Like when she had trouble with a boy, Victoria would ask if she wanted her to “get rid of him” and when she insisted “that’s not what I want” Victoria would laugh as she held her close to comfort her over her heartbreak.</p>
<p>
“Agent W,” Hardman’s sharp tone cut through her fantasy as he inquired, “Are you going to join our briefing?”</p>
<p>
“Yes, sir. Sorry, sir.”</p>
<p>
He gave her one final hard frown before turning back to the screen to change the image, “Knox was last seen in Corsica three years ago. Until she resurfaced eight hours ago and she will probably be gone in eight more unless we bring her in. Correction,” he turned back to face her as he said, “Unless you catch her, Agent W. You are going to bring her in.”</p>
<p>
Across the table Agent X dropped her file as she fixed Hardman with a look of disbelief, “Wait, what?”</p>
<p>
“Simmer down, X,” ordered Hardman, “You’re B team.”</p>
<p>
Agent W winced for X’s sake. It sounded like Hardman was still ignoring her warning.</p>
<p>
“B team!?” the words sounded to even offend X as she said them, “This should be my mission. I studied the case file. She’s over there,” she pointed at W accusingly, “writing fanfics about her family.”</p>
<p>
Agent W tensed as she felt all the eyes in the room turn on her. Hardman was the only one not looking at her as he started to object to X’s accusation. Then he saw W’s reaction. Though trained in all the deadly arts she was still not the best at hiding her emotions.</p>
<p>
Putting her case file down, she tried to hide the evidence as Hardman fixed her with a hard stare. She moved too slow as Hardman grabbed the file, throwing it open as he spotted the scribbled tale about a young girl who lived a normal life in a normal home where she attended a normal school. There she made normal friends and had a normal relationship with a cute boy.</p>
<p>
His frown threatened a worse punishment than latrine duty as he threw the pages to the side. Past him X was smiling smugly as if she was enjoying seeing W squirm.</p>
<p>
“You need to get your head in the game, W,” ordered Hardman, “If not Victoria Knox will take it off. If we follow the profile everyone will come home safe. And remember, we are not--.”</p>
<p>
“In the rescue business,” finished W.</p>
<p>
Her heart ached at the words as she considered how different things were in a family. No one got left behind. Everyone worked together.</p>
<p>
Before Hardman could get back to the briefing, she spoke up again, “I also think Agent X would be better suited for this mission. She is the more qualified agent in this case. You shouldn’t be sidelining her. If you just give her a chance I know you’ll see how great she can be.”</p>
<p>
Across from her Agent X was mouthing death threats.</p>
<p>
“We all have our areas of expertise, our strengths and weaknesses, and with Victoria’s way of thinking and planning I really think X would be better suited for this job.”</p>
<p>
She wanted to say more, like how Hardman should stop pitting them against one another, but from the look on his face she knew he wasn’t going to listen.</p>
<p>
“Can we get back to the briefing?” it was less a question and more a warning.</p>
<p>
“Yes, sir.”</p>
<p>
Agent X had her lips drawn together tightly in an angry expression. She wasn’t sure if it was because of her or Hardman.</p>
<p>
Slumping down in her seat she wondered at why she could never get Hardman to listen to her.</p>
<p>
Why couldn’t she ever say the right thing?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Agent W's big mission goes south fast, but maybe that's not such a bad thing</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Chechnya.</p>
<p>
An old abandoned building that looked like it had seen war.</p>
<p>
A trash fire was burning in one hallway that had sunlight coming through a large hole in the ceiling.</p>
<p>
Though broken on the inside it still managed to remain standing. W never thought she’d identify with a building.</p>
<p>
On the roof of the building, Knox paced back and forth in front of three kneeled forms with black bags over their heads. Even outside the agency she was a legend. Known as ruthless and vindictive. And for a having a penchant in taking out Prescotts.</p>
<p> 
That day she was dressed in a fitted black suit, smiling like she had walked into a buy one, get one free sell and they had everything in her size.</p>
<p>
“You making them comfortable?” inquired Victoria of her men.</p>
<p>
The large man behind the captives grunted out a reply of, “Thirty six hours alone in the box.”</p>
<p>
Her grin was cold as she shifted her gaze back to the captives, “Not bad. You did good.” Stopping in front of one man she flicked her hand in signal for them to remove the bag over the first man’s head. “Copenhagen.” She pointed her gun at the man’s head as the man winced, “Copenhagen is mine.”</p>
<p>
She shot him in the leg as his screams pierced the grey sky, “A little reminder in case you forget again.”</p>
<p>
She moved to the next captive, pushing his head to the side with the barrel of her gun as the man winced at the heat from the freshly fired shot, “Johannesburg.”</p>
<p>
They weren’t even people to her. Just places that she could exert her power. That she could control.</p>
<p>
Kneeling down in front of the man she fixed him with a crooked grin, “Do you remember me? Like having a gun in your face? Feels good doesn’t it?”</p>
<p>
Standing, she shot this man in the head before moving onto the final person. They did not flinch as she glared down at them.</p>
<p>
“And you. Finally got you.”</p>
<p>
The bag was pulled away to reveal the glaring face of Agent W. She looked right into Knox’s eyes, completely ignoring the gun pointed at her face. It wasn’t the first gun she’d had pointed at her face and in this line of work it wouldn’t be the last.</p>
<p>
Knox on her end looked slightly surprised as the young girl was not the one she had expected to find kneeling in front of her. This gave Agent W the opening she needed as she swept the woman’s legs. While Knox fell back, W grabbed the gun in her hand, wrenching Knox’s arm back as the woman fought to keep it. Behind them, Knox’s men tried to rush W. When the man got close enough W shot out a sharp kick that hit the man in the side of the knee, making him cry out as there was the sound of bone cracking.</p>
<p>
Another man, this one with a gun, charged forward as his comrade hit the ground holding his knee.</p>
<p>
If Knox wasn’t going to let go of the gun, W would have to work around the problem. Pushing Knox’s arm down, she aimed the gun at the charging soldier, shooting him in the leg. He also dropped to the ground, clutching his wound as a case behind W exploded.</p>
<p>
Through the smoke a balloon exploded up, rising into the air with a rope attached. The other end was attached to a cuff which W quickly slapped onto Knox’s wrist. As Knox tried to free her arm the large man grabbed W, lifting her off the ground.</p>
<p>
Snapping her head back, W hit the man in the nose as she heard him let out a loud cry of pain. His hold on her loosened, giving her the range of movement she needed to deliver a sharp kick back to his groin. This time he dropped her as he doubled over.</p>
<p>
W wasn’t free long, as she felt a rope wrap around her neck as Knox pulled her back. The two fell to the ground again, as she felt Knox shove her knee between W’s shoulder blades as she pulled the rope tight. The girl saw spots as she fought to slide her hand between the rope and her throat.</p>
<p>
Above them she heard the rumble of a plane’s engine as it flew overhead. If she didn’t hurry she was going to end up being hung by her escape route.</p>
<p>
Sending a sharp elbow back, she hit Knox to the side. W ducked under the rope, leaping up as she performed a leaping leg grab around another soldier, knocking him to the ground.</p>
<p>
Turning back, Knox was again pointing a gun at her. The look in her eyes said this was going to be the end as she gritted her teeth. Before she could fire the plane connected with the balloon as the woman was pulled up into the air. She let out an angry scream as W hurried to grab the end of the rope as she was pulled up after her.</p>
<p>
The ruined city was quickly left behind as the plane moved over the forested landscape. A stretch of blue-green water was the only thing to break up the forest below. But W didn’t have time to admire the scenery as Knox dropped the gun in her cuffed hand to her free one.</p>
<p>
The wind and the movements of the plane threw off her shots as W swung on the end of the rope, hearing a few bullets whistle past her head. When the clip was spent the woman threw the gun at her in frustration. Then she pulled out a second gun.</p>
<p>
Agent X would have been impressed. No matter the circumstance she always had a second weapon ready. W had a scar on her face from a time she had disarmed Agent X, only to have her lash out with a hidden dagger.</p>
<p>
Afterwards W had tried to compliment her on the ingenuity but X had just coldly said, “Next time I won’t miss.”</p>
<p>
W realized she should have been prepared for this situation with Knox as the woman pointed her second gun at her.</p>
<p>
Before Knox could fire, W let go of the rope. She watched the woman’s eyes widen in surprise, her expression growing harder to see the further she fell. Then she saw nothing but blue as she was covered in water.</p>
<p>
As the waves tossed her around she realized this might be the end. Just as her head broke the surface the waves crashed over her again, burying her.</p>
<p>
Rough water survival had been part of her training. The training made more difficult with Agent X trying to kill her the whole time.</p>
<p>
Another trip to the surface as she quickly grabbed a breath before the rapids took her down again.</p>
<p>
Even with all Agent X had done to her she would miss her. She might never have been able to call her sister, but there was still some bond there. Now she would never have a chance to win X over. Never have a chance to be a normal teenage girl with a controlling father and helicopter mom.</p>
<p>
Just as she started to accept the waves would be her family, her fingers brushed a hard object. She instinctively took a hold as she started to pull herself up a stray tree branch. Pulling herself up she took another deep breath of air before using the branch to pull herself onto the rock it was stuck on.</p>
<p>
River sprayed around her as over her watch she heard Hardman’s voice ordering her to, “Come in.”</p>
<p>
Above her she could still hear the plane’s engine as it circled the area above her drop. From the rock she made a jump to the shore where she collapsed onto the sand to catch her breath.</p>
<p>
“W, come in if you hear me. Give me a visual. Anything.”</p>
<p>
She sat up, her lungs still burning as her body throbbed with pain from the impact with the water and rocks.</p>
<p>
“Give me a sign you’re down there.”</p>
<p>
She started to pinch the comm buttons on her communication watch. Then stopped.</p>
<p>
She hadn’t planned for it. Hadn’t planned to leave the mission field. But as she sat on the shore with Hardman’s voice ordering her to call in, she realized this was the chance she had always dreamed about.</p>
<p>
With the academy above her, hovering like an overbearing parent, she realized this was her chance to finally be free. Her chance to escape.</p>
<p>
“W, this is your last chance.”</p>
<p>
Taking off the watch, she threw it into the water. As of this moment W was dead. Or, let them think that.</p>
<p>
It was time for her to start a new life. The life she’d always wanted for herself.</p>
<p>
As she watched the plane fly away she felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders.</p>
<p>
It was almost too good to be true she had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. But she wasn’t. She was wide awake and she was free.</p>
<p>
Free to start a normal life. One with high school and slumber parties and staying out after curfew. It was all possible for her now.</p>
<p>
“Get ready, world. Here I come.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Agent W starts her new life</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>At a hotel, Agent W looked for a way to start her normal life.</p>
<p>
Research led her to a foreign exchange program. It would be her easiest in and would help her explain why she did not completely understand teen culture.</p>
<p>
On the site she found several host families. There was the nuclear option, a single parent home, a pair of well-dressed men with a little girl. All looked amazing, but then she saw them.</p>
<p>
Her heart shivered like it had that first day she’d seen the platinum haired beauty. Even through a screen her sage green eyes sent a jolt of electricity through W’s body.</p>
<p>
She realized it was fate as she stared at the image of the girl and her family. The family that had helped to reignite her desire for something more.</p>
<p>
She slammed the button to submit her application for the family.</p>
<p>
____</p><p>W checked her reflection a thousand times the morning of her arrival in the states. The day she was supposed to meet her new family.</p>
<p>
Back in Europe a sale’s attendant had assured her that the outfit she’d chosen was “What all the cool teens wear.” When she’d purchased the outfit she’d felt confident, now she wasn’t so sure she pulled it off.</p>
<p>
She had been trained to fit in so as not to catch the attention of the enemy. But from all the teen movies she’d seen high school was about standing out.</p>
<p>
Taking another breath to steel her nerves, she headed out as she caught the bus that would take her to her final destination: Newton, Massachusetts. The state where freedom had been born. The place where she would be reborn as she found her own kind of freedom.</p>
<p>
As the bus rolled to a stop she spotted the family through the window. At the front the little boy eagerly waved a welcome sign with her name on it. It didn’t say Agent W, even she knew that wasn’t a normal name for people. Megan Walsh was the name she had chosen. Just seeing her new name written out made her heart swell with joy.</p>
<p>
Fear was lodged in her throat as she reminded herself that just because they had accepted her application didn’t mean they’d accept her. She had spent years trying to fit in and be accepted at Prescott and that had never worked out.</p>
<p>
What made her think this time would be any different?</p>
<p>
Taking a breath she told herself to stay positive as she moved towards the family.</p>
<p>
Each step felt like she was heading towards the executioner’s block.</p>
<p>
She knew exactly what that felt like as she’d been on a mission that had almost ended at a chopping block. In the end she’d saved herself, though she would have liked it if someone had been there to help her. A fellow agent, a sibling, her family. Just someone else to fight for her, with her. Someone who could save her when she didn’t have the means to save herself. But self-reliance was what Prescott emphasized even if it was never what she wanted.</p>
<p>
The little boy saw her first as he waved his arm at her. She noticed the arm was covered in a bright green cast.</p>
<p>
Had he injured it in some kind of dangerous training exercise?</p>
<p>
No.</p>
<p>
She couldn’t think like that.</p>
<p>
Normal thoughts.</p>
<p>
Normal conclusions.</p>
<p>
“Last chance to back out,” grumbled the blonde teen. Again Megan felt her breath catch in her throat as for a moment she felt like she was back there on the train platform, the weight of the girl’s body on her legs.</p>
<p>
The girl fixed her with a scowl. Though it was fierce she could have taken some lessons from X who really knew how to make a person feel like garbage with just a simple glance.</p>
<p>
Megan returned her glare with a hesitant smile. The girl’s words sounded to her like an omen, a reminder that she could never truly get away from her past life.</p>
<p>
Beside the girl, her mother leaned in as she said under her breath, “Foreign exchange student was your idea.”</p>
<p>
‘Yeah, six years ago.”</p>
<p>
The mother looked the same as Megan remembered, blonde hair, kind smile, glasses. She did look a little tired, like she’d been through a lot since that day she’d first seen them. But her smile was still warm as she greeted Megan with a hug.</p>
<p>
Megan’s first instinct was to fight against the tight hold, but before she reacted she recalled seeing this kind of greeting in the movies. It was called a hug. Once she realized this she relaxed into it. The hold ended a moment later.</p>
<p>
She was disappointed but tried not to show it as she smiled at the woman.</p>
<p>
It had felt so nice. Warm and safe.</p>
<p>
Was this what it was like to have a mother?</p>
<p>
Did it always feel like that?</p>
<p>
“Sorry, I got a little overeager,” stated the woman hurriedly “I should have asked if you were okay with a hug.”</p>
<p>
“No, it’s fine. I don’t mind a hug.”</p>
<p>
Her smile quivered as she kept herself from asking for another one. That probably wasn’t normal.</p>
<p>
“I’m Penny, by the way,” stated the woman, “And this is Parker,” she touched the top of the boy’s head, her hands being lost in the curls of his hair. He smiled widely, revealing a missing front tooth.</p>
<p>
He had also changed a lot since she’d first seen him. But there was still that same spark of energy she had seen all that time ago. The same exuberance that had made his parents feel the need to keep a hold of his hands the whole time she’d seen them together.</p>
<p>
The one who looked to have changed the most was the teen girl. She stood off to the side, looking off like she found the whole exchange painfully boring. Megan could have learned from her how to play her role back at the train station.</p>
<p>
She really did look like she’d have rather been anywhere else. Even if that somewhere had been the edge of a volcano. Which was not a pleasant place to be, Megan knew this having had a battle there once. Even an inactive volcano was not an ideal spot for a fight.</p>
<p>
“This is Liz,” stated the mother when her daughter did not offer her name.</p>
<p>
“Of course,” Megan moved to hug the girl, only to be rebuffed as the girl threw up her hands.</p>
<p>
“Ew, no, don’t touch me.”</p>
<p>
It shouldn’t have hurt so much, but Megan found herself replaying a reel of rejections from Agent X in her mind.</p>
<p>
Every knocked away hand she’d extended in help.</p>
<p>
Every “accidental” friendly fire situation.</p>
<p>
Even here with a new group of people she could not escape having someone who just could not stand her presence.</p>
<p>
Stepping back, she plastered on a smile as she assured the girl, “It’s cool. I get it.”</p>
<p>
She thought she was able to pull off sounding like it didn’t matter to her, but it did.</p>
<p>
It always did.</p>
<p>
Like Agent X liked to remind her, harshly remind her, she was too soft for her own good.</p>
<p>
“Elizabeth,” scolded her mother.</p>
<p>
“What?”</p>
<p>
The pair had a brief silent argument, their lips pursing as their eyes flashed in a language only a mother and daughter could speak.</p>
<p>
A language Megan would never learn.</p>
<p>
“No, I don’t,” stated a male voice.</p>
<p>
Past Liz, Megan spotted the man that could only be, “Oh, Mr. Larson.” She moved in to hug him as the man moved away, looking startled.</p>
<p>
Mrs. Larson rushed over, pulling her away from the man as she quickly apologized to him, “Oh, no. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” she directed the final apology at Megan as she explained, “Mr. Larson and I aren’t together anymore.”</p>
<p>
‘He left us,” grunted Liz as her lower lip jutted out in a pout, “Can we leave too?”</p>
<p>
Mrs. Larson gave her daughter a frown before turning a smile on Megan, “It’s just the three of us. I’m divorced.”</p>
<p>
‘I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>
The woman waved it off with a flick of her hand, “No, it’s ok. You’re fine. We’re fine. Even better, actually. Some people make it work. Others, you know, run off with a pharmaceutical rep and spend your life’s savings on a pontoon boat.” She laughed but it came off strained.</p>
<p>
Megan wasn’t sure if this was a situation where she was supposed to laugh. She chose silence as the woman told her, “But we’re good, so…are your parents still together?”</p>
<p>
“They are dead.”</p>
<p>
Liz had pulled out her phone, but as Megan said this she lowered the screen to click her tongue with a look like the new girl had made things awkward.</p>
<p>
‘I’ll get the car,” she headed off.</p>
<p>
Mrs. Larson’s nervous smile confirmed her daughter’s sentiments as she wasn’t sure what to say after that.</p>
<p>
Collecting herself she said the sweetest words Megan had ever heard, “Let’s go home.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Megan has her first family meal</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As soon as they got Megan home Mrs. Larson took her to the room they had made up “just for her.”</p>
<p>
Megan had never had a room to herself. She had often dreamed about it. A space she could make her own. A place she could decorate however she wanted. There she would be able to play music in the morning as she got ready for school. She could lie on her bed, magazines spread out over the blankets as she talked on the phone, gossiping with her best friend. All the typical teen things.</p>
<p>
Biting her lip, she hesitated for a moment before asking, “Is it alright if I decorate it?”</p>
<p>
At the agency she only ever heard negative answers to her requests. So when Mrs. Larson went, “Oh ya, go crazy.”</p>
<p>
She found herself hugging the woman.</p>
<p>
The woman laughed, hugging her back as she added, “Just not too crazy. Don’t want to have to plaster over any holes in the wall.” She laughed like it was a joke, but something told Megan she’d had to do just that before.</p>
<p>
Perhaps that was why Parker was wearing a cast. She had once had to wear a finger splint after slamming her fist through a wall when she’d missed the head of an opponent.</p>
<p>
The room was already partially decorated with a cork board sporting the announcement “Welcome Megan.” Seeing another sign with her new name made her skin prickle with excitement.</p>
<p>
There was a desk with freshly picked flowers and a reading lamp. A small shelf near that had a framed image of an inspirational quote.</p>
<p>
The twin sized bed had a pillowed backboard with flower print quilts. Nothing like the bed she had back at the academy. Hers was the typical barebones metal frame bed.</p>
<p>
This bed actually had extra pillows. She felt the urge to hold the pillows close in a hug, but knew this would look strange to Mrs. Larson.</p>
<p>
Be normal, Megan.</p>
<p>
“I’ll let you get settled in,” stated the woman as she left the room, closing the door behind her.</p>
<p>
Next to the bed was a bookshelf with more framed photos, these ones of her host family. They were all smiling brightly. An old photo, she realized as she noticed the dad was still in them with an X having been placed over his face.</p>
<p>
It was all just so wonderful she wanted to cry. But Agents didn’t cry.</p>
<p>
That’s when she remembered she wasn’t an agent anymore. Instead of giving into that urge, she started to laugh as she fell back on the bed.</p>
<p>
This wasn’t really something to cry over. More like something to scream with joy about.</p>
<p>
She was actually living out her dream and it was all so magical and beautiful.</p>
<p>
She couldn’t wait to experience school.</p>
<p>
___</p><p>“What are you wearing?”</p>
<p>
This was the first question she heard as she came down the stairs.</p>
<p>
Liz was sitting on the living room couch, a book spread out on her lap. She’d lifted her eyes from the pages long enough to fix Megan with a disgusted expression like she didn’t expect a good answer from her.</p>
<p>
“It’s uh,” she looked down at her outfit. Was there something wrong with it? “It’s trendy where I come from.”</p>
<p>
Liz rolled her eyes, “You look like a pirate.”</p>
<p>
Did she?</p>
<p>
She checked her outfit again. If she was dressed like a pirate, it was a modern one. Army boots, khaki capris, blue and white striped long sleev shirt with black beanie.</p>
<p>
Okay, maybe Liz had a point.</p>
<p>
This was not something she could walk into school with and expect to stand out in a good way. She could just hear the school bullies making crude comments like, “You looking for a plank to walk?”</p>
<p>
While the girls gave her disgusted looks as they inquired, “Are you sure you’re not from the Caribbean, matey?”</p>
<p>
She took off the beanie as she asked Liz, “Does this look better?”</p>
<p>
Liz’s gaze went behind her as she asked, “What is that on your back?”</p>
<p>
“A, uh, hoodster.”</p>
<p>
She wasn’t exactly sure what to call it. It was a holster like the one she put her gun in, but was made to hold things like a purse. Unlike a regular holster it had a hood attacked at the neck, “The sales lady said it was all the rage among steampunks.”</p>
<p>
Megan had only ever heard them called punks in movies, but maybe that was the full name. It did seem to fit them with how often she saw them smoking.</p>
<p>
Liz closed her eyes like she felt a headache coming on. Megan recognized the look from when Hardman was getting tired of her arguments.</p>
<p>
“Listen, I’ll give you some advice. The key to surviving high school is to not stand out.”</p>
<p>
“I thought that was all high school was about. Making a name for yourself. Finding yourself.”</p>
<p>
Before Liz could agree or argue with her, Parker ran into the room, twirling a set of nunchuks through the air.</p>
<p>
“I’m a ninja turtle.”</p>
<p>
Liz grabbed the nuncuck end that was flying through the air as he ran past her. As he paused to object she ripped the other from his hand.</p>
<p>
Megan’s eyes widened as she admired the girl’s ability to react so quickly and efficiently in disarming the boy.</p>
<p>
‘That is not a toy,” stated the girl as she scolded her brother, “Where did you even get these?”</p>
<p>
Megan felt her insides tighten as she waited for Parker to rat her out. Agent X would have enjoyed using such an opportunity to get her in trouble.</p>
<p>
But Parker just gave her a quick look before telling his sister, “I found it.”</p>
<p>
“Where?”</p>
<p>
“Out there,” he pointed outside.</p>
<p>
The girl frowned, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. Then she let out a low groan, “Oh, whatever. I don’t care anymore.”</p>
<p>
Taking the weapons with her, she headed up the stairs to her room. Megan gave Parker an appreciative smile and when he asked for it gave him a high five. Her first high five.</p>
<p>
This day just kept getting better and better.</p>
<p>
“I like your outfit,” stated the boy before hurrying out of the room.</p>
<p>
So much better than being an agent.</p>
<p>
___</p><p>Megan was called to the family dinner table.</p>
<p>
An actual family dinner with a bowl full of peas and interactions like “pass the salad.” She did her best to hide just how excited she was by the whole thing as she helpfully passed the mashed potatoes.</p>
<p>
Everyone else was so chill about the whole thing, like it was a common occurrence for them. And she supposed it was. For her it was all new.</p>
<p>
Normal for her had been eating in a cafeteria with cold white tables stretched across a halogen lit room that did nothing to make meals feel like a warm experience.</p>
<p>
But here, now, the food tasted like the best thing she’d ever had.</p>
<p>
Across the table, Liz noticed her big dopy smile as she scooped a second helping of potatoes onto her plate. Unheard of at the agency.</p>
<p>
Noticing Liz eyeing her suspiciously, she tried to throw her off the scent as she said, “I just really love potatoes.”</p>
<p>
The girl’s studying gaze only seemed to narrow.</p>
<p>
Did she really stand out that much?</p>
<p>
“I think what you’re doing is very brave,” stated Mrs. Larson, “Adjusting to a new culture is hard.”</p>
<p>
“You know what else is hard,” asked Parker with a proud smile, “Ninja training. But I do it anyway.”</p>
<p>
She knew in movies younger siblings were portrayed as annoying creatures, but she found herself smiling back at the boy. There was just something about him that made her want to ruffle his hair. He was so charming.</p>
<p>
Laughing with amusement, she asked him, “Is that how you hurt your arm?”</p>
<p>
“Nope,” went Liz as her fork slammed into her plate as she speared a carrot. So efficient. She would have made a good agent, “Fell off his bike.”</p>
<p>
Parker slammed the table as he insistently declared, “It was ninja training.”</p>
<p>
“Okay,” went Liz sarcastically as she stabbed another vegetable harshly, “and I guess Dad’s just going to pontoon back any day now too, huh?”</p>
<p>
Tension.</p>
<p>
This was the tension she’d read about and seen snatches of in movies. The kind that one said they could cut with a knife. She did not know about that, but her insides did feel tight as she nervously shifted her eyes around the faces at the table.</p>
<p>
Parker looked downcast as Mrs. Larson’s mouth was set in a firm line. If she had been a trainer at the academy Megan knew what would have come next, Liz being given latrine duty. Her only tool: her own toothbrush.</p>
<p>
“Okay, Elizabeth,” went the woman with a warning tone to her voice, “let’s not ruin dinner.”</p>
<p>
There was a pit in Megan’s stomach as she waited for everything to fall apart. She knew families weren’t perfect all the time, they had struggles and disagreements. She’d been reminded of this the very moment she’d been told Mr. Larson was gone.</p>
<p>
But just for a little while she had wished to live that perfect life, like the one she saw in her movies. The one where everything was okay and everyone got along. Where no one was fighting or trying to kill one another.</p>
<p>
A life completely different from the one she had escaped from.</p>
<p>
The mother and daughter were having another nonverbal argument with their eyes as Parker leaned across his seat to whisper to her, “I’m a shadow warrior.”</p>
<p>
All the tension left her chest as she smiled at his confident words.</p>
<p>
“Yeah? That’s cool.” Then, just because she really liked him, she admitted, “I’m a secret agent. Shh.”</p>
<p>
He nodded in understanding as he went back to eating.</p>
<p>
Mrs. Larson broke away from her silent argument as she went, “Um, well, if there’s anything special that you’d like to do just make a list and I’m sure Lizzy would be thrilled,” Liz started to object, but the mother talked over her as she repeated, “Thrilled to show you. Isn’t that right, sweetheart? “</p>
<p>
Liz’s expression looked the opposite of thrilled as she glared at Megan. Maybe she didn’t need lessons from X.</p>
<p>
If looks could kill, Liz would have been a student at Prescott.</p>
<p>
Seeing that kind of glare took her back to meals at Prescott. There Agent X would sit across from her making veiled and not so veiled threats.</p>
<p>
It was strange what things you found yourself missing once they were behind you. Not that she missed the threats. More the person making them.</p>
<p>
If only X had shared her desire to be more than rivals. It would have made living at Prescott bearable.</p>
<p>
Even if they had become friends, she knew eventually it wouldn’t have been enough. She would have still felt the desire to leave. To be here in a place like this, even with its tension filled moments.</p>
<p>
“I would love to take the school bus.”</p>
<p>
“Peter Denado pooped on the bus,” offered Parker unasked.</p>
<p>
“Okay, Parker,” his mother said it in a tone Megan recognized as telling him to drop it.</p>
<p>
He snickered behind his hand, but didn’t say more.</p>
<p>
“One,” went Liz, “That’s disgusting. And two, I’m not riding the bus.”</p>
<p>
Slamming her hand down on the table as she got up she seemed to signal that would be the final word on it.</p>
<p>
Megan felt panicked butterflies go into motion inside her chest as she felt her dreams fly away with them, “But it’s the quintessential high school experience.”</p>
<p>
“So is mono,” quipped Liz.</p>
<p>
Megan blinked as she repeated the word in her mind. If it was a word.</p>
<p>
Liz was gone before she could ask her about it.</p>
<p>
With no one else to ask, she turned the question on Mrs. Larson, “What is mono?”</p>
<p>
Though she looked uncomfortable at having to answer she told Megan, “Kids get it from kissing.”</p>
<p>
Beside her, Parker stuck his finger down his throat as he made a gagging sound.</p>
<p>
“It’s like crabs for the mouth,” continued the woman.</p>
<p>
Parker gagged even more as he set down his fork, “You seriously just ruined my appetite.”</p>
<p>
Megan felt her own stomach churn as she imagined the crustaceans crawling over a person’s face, “Ugh.”</p>
<p>
It might not have been the best end to a meal, but she had a feeling it was what would have qualified as normal. And normal was what she wanted.</p>
<p>
Right?</p>
<p>
___</p><p>At night she heard a knock on her door.</p>
<p>
Her bedroom door.</p>
<p>
She still couldn’t get over it.</p>
<p>
Hurrying to the edge of her bed, she stood ready for inspection before calling out, “Ready.”</p>
<p>
It wasn’t until Mrs. Larson poked her head in the door that she relaxed.</p>
<p>
“I brought you an extra blanket in case you needed it,” she presented the blanket in question before setting it on the desk in the room. “You know, we’re really glad you’re here.”</p>
<p>
Megan returned her smile, “Thanks. Me too.”</p>
<p>
Before she could leave Megan quickly called out a, “Good night.”</p>
<p>
Usually no one else said it back, but that time she saw Mrs. Larson smile before she replied with a simple, “Night.”</p>
<p>
Yes. Normal was what she wanted.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Megan's first day of school</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I’m a normal 16 year old.”</p>
<p>
“I’m a normal 16 year old.”</p>
<p>
She repeated the reminder to herself the whole bus ride to school.</p>
<p>
The ride was definitely an experience.</p>
<p>
The smell. A locker room mixed with the inside of a shoe.</p>
<p>
The sounds. Everyone trying to be heard over the engine and sounds of the road.</p>
<p>
The sticky seat. Was it just one spot or the whole seat?</p>
<p>
The pressing of bodies around her. It was not unlike many countries she had visited, but there was the added nervous energy and pent up emotions.</p>
<p>
Yes, this was high school.</p>
<p>
Her dream.</p>
<p>
Hopefully it didn’t turn into a nightmare.</p>
<p>
The heels she’d chosen to wear made her walk feel strange as she struggled to stay upright when she got off the bus.</p>
<p>
Why did women even wear them?</p>
<p>
They were uncomfortable and made it hard for one to move. How were woman supposed to fight? Supposed to run?</p>
<p>
But normal women didn’t have to worry about such things. Such dangers.</p>
<p>
She felt unbalanced, like she was pretending to be something she was not.</p>
<p>
Which she was.</p>
<p>
She just didn’t need her shoes to remind her of this.</p>
<p>
Note to self: burn the shoes later.</p>
<p>
After Liz’s reaction to her last outfit she’d tried to pick something a little more normal. She didn’t need her classmates referring to her as the “pirate girl” for the rest of the year. Or something more clever and harmful to her psyche.</p>
<p>
Speaking of which—she could feel the other student’s judgmental eyes on her as she made her way into the school. Some people avoided her, others watched her, looking like hungry lions as they keyed in on weaknesses to exploit.</p>
<p>
It was all disconcerting and yet exhilarating in a way she’d never felt before.</p>
<p>
Two girls along the side of the hall caught her attention. One was smiling brightly as the other gave Megan a look that she would only describe as “stink eye.”</p>
<p>
Past them a group of boys were gawking at her. The one that seemed like the group’s leader stepped away from his friends as he moved into the middle of the hall to meet her.</p>
<p>
“Fresh meat,” went the male. As she moved past she felt a sharp smack on her butt.</p>
<p>
Her body tensed as her training tried to activate. She kept it tamped down as it played through all the various ways she could react: a pen to the eye, grabbing the back of his head and slamming it into the nearest pillar, a knee to the groin followed by an elbow to the side of the head.</p>
<p>
But she didn’t do any of that.</p>
<p>
It wouldn’t be normal.</p>
<p>
Instead she let herself cringe, shrink under the sound of the laughter from her classmates.</p>
<p>
That was the normal thing to do.</p>
<p>
Her face burned as ahead of her she spotted Liz.</p>
<p>
The girl turned away like she hadn’t seen her, hiding her face as if that would make her invisible.</p>
<p>
In that moment Megan understood the feeling.</p>
<p>
A feeling she was sure was painfully normal.</p>
<p>
____</p><p>On her way back from the office, where she’d collected her class schedule and student ID, she found Liz at her locker.</p>
<p>
Yesterday the girl had told Megan one shouldn’t stand out in school. She wasn’t sure Liz was succeeding. She spotted her right away even in the crowded hallway.</p>
<p>
Even without her platinum hair Megan was sure she would have noticed the girl, even dressed in her red plaid shirt with a white v-neck underneath.</p>
<p>
With one hand she reached up to push a strand of hair behind her ear, the rings on her fingers sparkling in the fluorescent hall lighting. With her other hand she pulled books out of the khaki green messenger bag hanging at her side as she put the books in the locker. The bag sported patches with various band logos Megan had never heard of.</p>
<p>
She made a mental note to ask Liz about them later.</p>
<p>
As Liz finished emptying her bag she adjusted the strap, a sparkle at her neckline drawing Megan’s attention there as she noticed her paperclip necklace. A gift from Parker.</p>
<p>
She only knew this because he’d smiled brightly that morning when he’d seen Liz come down the stairs wearing it. Then, as if it was a secret, he’d leaned in to whisper to Megan, “I made her that.”</p>
<p>
Liz looked surprised when she closed her locker, turning to find Megan staring at her.</p>
<p>
“Jeez,” went the girl as she clutched at her chest, “Freak show!” was it a nickname or an exclamation, Megan couldn’t be sure, as Liz asked impatiently, “What do you want from me?”</p>
<p>
Megan’s smile shook with uncertainty as she stepped closer, “I thought we could walk together.”</p>
<p>
“Are you on bath salts?”</p>
<p>
Megan blinked with confusion as she tried to understand the words. They were words she understood separately. Bath. Salts. But together…was it some kind of teen code?</p>
<p>
Liz shuddered like she’d lost herself for a moment in a thought as she mused aloud, “You’re like a clingy octopus, putting your creepy tentacles all over my life. Just like, give me some space so I can breathe.”</p>
<p>
Megan shuddered as well. She had once had a “hug” from an octopus so knew just how creepy a feeling it was, “I don’t mean to be clinging. I just thought it could give us a chance to get to know one another. Like,” she motioned to the girl’s bag as she started to ask her about the patches on it.</p>
<p>
Before she could she noticed Liz’s lips purse with annoyance. Her words faded as she found herself transfixed by the other girl’s pink lips. They looked soft. And so pink.</p>
<p>
Did she wear some kind of lipstick?</p>
<p>
Before she could ask, Liz made a sharp point at her as she said, “Look. I have nine months, three weeks, and five days until I escape this post pubescent psych ward and you are not gonna mess this up. Here just,” she opened her locker again as she pulled out a set of clothes and sneakers, “put these on and…” she made a motion in the air like she thought what she was going to ask next was an impossible request, “try not to talk to me. Okay.”</p>
<p>
She made double okay symbols with her hands before turning around, as her pony tail swished behind her like a final farewell wave.</p>
<p>
Megan had thought, hoped, dreamed that it was something to do with Prescott that prevented her from making friends. But as she watched Liz walk away she started to wonder—was it actually something to do with her?</p>
<p>
Holding the clothes to her chest she felt her eyes sting as she wondered helplessly: Why couldn’t she be normal?</p>
<p>
____</p><p>Megan was so eager to get to her first class she was the first to arrive. The teacher wasn’t even there as she took her seat.</p>
<p>
As she waited she bobbed her knee in anticipation, feeling it hit against the underside of the table. Something caught on her pants as she leaned down to find several wads of gum stuck underneath. Turning up her nose she scooted back from the table so as not to hit her leg against it again.</p>
<p>
For years she had dreamed of sitting in an actual classroom. One that wasn’t filled with images of ways to disarm or kill a man. One where classes did not include lessons on disarming bombs.</p>
<p>
“Oh, hey,” a male teen with sandy blonde hair stepped into the room as he gave her a nervous smile.</p>
<p>
She returned the nervous grin, “Hey.”</p>
<p>
“I heard we had a new student. Am I wrong or is--?”</p>
<p>
“That’s me,” she started to get up, but found her heel was snagged on the bar of the chair as she almost fell over.</p>
<p>
She should have changed into those sneakers Liz gave her.</p>
<p>
The guy came over to meet her half way as he said, “I’m Roger.”</p>
<p>
She took his hand, “Megan. Am I in the wrong room, or…” she took in the empty chairs.</p>
<p>
“Kids tend to wait till the final minutes to get here. They’re not eager to start learning.”</p>
<p>
“I don’t know why. I’m so excited.”</p>
<p>
She was practically bubbling with energy as she smiled brightly at the boy.</p>
<p>
He laughed at her exuberance as he nodded his head as if having figured something out.</p>
<p>
She felt her pulse quicken.</p>
<p>
Did he know?</p>
<p>
“You’re one of those people.”</p>
<p>
Her body tensed further as she felt her hand move towards the pen on the table. If she hurried she could take him out before the first student arrived. She only needed five minutes to stow his body and—no, this wasn’t a normal line of thinking.</p>
<p>
Trying to hide the fear that had filled her chest, she inquired, “What kind of people?”</p>
<p>
Former secret agents pretending to be normal?</p>
<p>
“The kind that gets a kick out of learning,” seeing the panic in her eyes he assured her, “Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I think it’s great to have a passion, even about learning. I mean, how can we ever grow if we’re not learning something new about the world and ourselves.”</p>
<p>
“Exactly,” she calmed as she gave him a bright smile, “I like you, Roger.”</p>
<p>
His face went red as he chuckled nervously, “Ah, uh, thanks.”</p>
<p>
She’d obviously overstepped.</p>
<p>
Tried to be friends too quickly.</p>
<p>
Trying to backtrack she said, “I just mean, you seem cool.”</p>
<p>
Her words came off flat as disappointment kept her from fully committing to the words.</p>
<p>
Instead of pushing her away he chuckled, “I’m not cool. You’ll realize that once you get to know more people.”</p>
<p>
“Oh,” she said it with a wide “Oh” as she realized what he was trying to tell her, “You’re some kind of geek. I’ve seen plenty of movies with that trope. What kind are you?”</p>
<p>
Another soft chuckle like there was something about her he found confusing, “I guess I’m an AV geek.”</p>
<p>
“Oh, cool. I saw that one in 10 Things I Hate About You.”</p>
<p>
A blank stare, then, “Uh, yeah. Only more advanced.”</p>
<p>
The final warning bell sounded as kids finally started to trickle into the room. Before heading to his seat, Roger looked back as he gave her one final piece of advice, “Just, whatever happens in here,” he made a circle to indicate he meant the classroom, “Don’t let them get to you. Don’t let them extinguish your passion.”</p>
<p>
He gave her another smile before heading back to his seat. She watched him go with a sense of wonder as she realized, if she played her cards right, she might actually have met her first friend.</p>
<p>
She performed a big fist pump, then realized what she was doing, brought it down to a mini pump.</p>
<p>
Normal people had friends.</p>
<p>
Check. Check.</p>
<p>
____</p><p>“Right, class,” started the teacher as she stepped to the front, “Before we get started we have a new student to welcome to the school. Megan, would you please come up here.”</p>
<p>
Again she felt the butterflies in her stomach as she moved to the front. Her ears felt hot as it felt like everyone in the room was looking at her.</p>
<p>
Not all of them were, some were staring off into space. Others were staring at their textbooks. The only one who really seemed to be staring at her was the pack leader from the hall. The one that had violated her space.</p>
<p>
She tried to ignore him as the teacher said, “Megan is coming to our school all the way from Canada.”</p>
<p>
“So exotic,” quipped a girl. Megan recognized her as the one that had given her the stink eye. She wasn’t sure what the girl had against her, but from all the movies she’d seen she knew it didn’t take much for someone to hate you.</p>
<p>
As the teacher signaled for her to take over, Megan stepped to the front.</p>
<p>
The first time Megan had ever gone on a mission she’d felt like her stomach was filled with live grenades, each going off one after another as her fingers felt like they were going numb. Like then, her hands felt wet like she’d been holding a jelly fish just moments ago.</p>
<p>
In that mission her life had been on the line, but she hadn’t felt as nervous as she did now standing at the front of the class. For an agent whose goal in life had been to not stand out, she was not ready to have so much attention on her.</p>
<p>
Despite how she felt, she had learned how to present a false front, as she put on a confident smile and said, “Hi, I’m Megan. I’m from Regina, Saskatchewan and I’m eager to join the long and proud legacy of Viking Alumni.”</p>
<p>
“Did you say Regina?” the question came from the boy that had hit her earlier.</p>
<p>
Gripping the seams of her pants, she kept her tone even as she nodded, “Yes. Saskatchewan.”</p>
<p>
“Go back to Regina,” called the boy through cupped hands.</p>
<p>
Several kids in the class laughed at his antics as the teacher called for them to settle down, “Gooch, stop that.”</p>
<p>
But Gooch had chummed the waters and the other bullies took over as they got the class to chant together, “Go home!”</p>
<p>
Through that she heard other people inquire loudly, “What are you wearing?”</p>
<p>
As another person tried to get the chant of “Take back Beiber” going.</p>
<p>
She didn’t know what that last one had to do with her.</p>
<p>
Why it was her responsibility?</p>
<p>
It had been the Americans who had first welcomed him into their hearts and homes. If they didn’t like the way he’d turned out they really only had themselves to blame for making him that way.</p>
<p>
She felt her face heat as the teacher completely lost control of the classroom.</p>
<p>
She could feel her pulse in her palms. It was like she was back in that den in Bangladesh with the opium dealers. Not a single friendly face and somehow she’d felt safe then than she did now. At least then she’d had a gun tucked into the back of her pants.</p>
<p>
Her eyes scanned the room for something that could give her comfort like the gun had. One friendly face.</p>
<p>
Liz was sinking down into her chair, looking as if she’d rather be anywhere else.</p>
<p>
Could Megan join her there?</p>
<p>
As the teacher’s voice grew louder to be heard over the class’s chanting, another sound joined the mix. The sound of a guitar which was joined by the dulcet tones of a male soprano. From the hallway a teen with curly brown hair and grey Henley entered the room.</p>
<p>
“Hey, I was just passing by and it sounded like you all were calling for an encore?”</p>
<p>
The class instantly grew quiet as the teen strummed another chord, their chants starting up again but for him to play them a song.</p>
<p>
As he obliged the request, Megan heard one of the girls call out, “I want to have your baby.”</p>
<p>
While most all the girls in the class squealed with delight, Megan noticed Liz at the back of the room. She rolled her eyes before hiding her face behind a book. Unlike the rest of the room, she was completely unimpressed with his charming smile and bedroom eyes.</p>
<p>
To Megan he looked like the typical high school drama heartthrob. The guy that everyone wanted to date but only the most normal of girls could entice.</p>
<p>
As he soothed the crowd, Megan headed back to her seat. As she sat down she noticed the guitar boy was watching her as he gave her a smile and a wink. Without having to ask he had come to her rescue. A complete stranger. It was the kind of thing that only happened in romcoms, rarely in real life.</p>
<p>
Seeing it play out now she realized normal wasn’t what she wanted.</p>
<p>
Screw normal.</p>
<p>
She wanted her very own teen romance—firework eliciting kisses and all.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Drama in the lunch room</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Lunch—the most important time of the school day as far as she could tell from the teen movies she’d watched.</p>
<p>
This was the time when one found out where they stood within the school hierarchy. Where you sat factored in greatly to deciding your place in the school food chain.</p>
<p>
As she passed a table, a girl with a wraparound braid stepped into her path. She smiled pleasantly as she told Megan, “Sorry about the kids in class. They can be cruel. Want to join us?”</p>
<p>
“Come sit. Come sit,” called the other girls at the table she motioned to.</p>
<p>
They were all so eager to have her.</p>
<p>
A little too eager.</p>
<p>
Her eyes narrowed as she studied each of them, trying to assess the reason for such an obvious display of deceit. Then she spotted them—pompoms.</p>
<p>
“You’re cheerleaders.”</p>
<p>
The girl smiled brightly, “Yeah.”</p>
<p>
She frowned in return, instantly keying in on exactly what was happening here, “I know your angle.”</p>
<p>
“Angle?” the girl was very good at acting innocent. But Megan saw right through her game.</p>
<p>
“I’ve seen Mean Girls.”</p>
<p>
“I love that movie,” stated one of the girls.</p>
<p>
Megan ignored her as she let them know, “You’re going to invite me to sit, weaken my defenses, then you will embarrass me in some elaborate prank to assert your social dominance.”</p>
<p>
The girls looked genuinely confused as the main girl went, “What?”</p>
<p>
“Nice try.”</p>
<p>
Megan felt proud of herself as she turned and walked away. She might not have known much about the normal world, but she knew enough to avoid such an obvious trap.</p>
<p>
She was so proud of herself she completely walked into the next one, as she heard someone let out an unconvincing “oops” as she felt something cold press into the front of her shirt.</p>
<p>
Her eyes dropped to the spot just as the boy pulled his lunch trey away so the food on it fell to the floor.</p>
<p>
It was the loud mouthed boy again, Gooch. Past him the surrounding tables noticed the disturbance as several started to laugh.</p>
<p>
“At least now you’ll never have to wear that again,” stated a girl as the females around her snickered behind their hands.</p>
<p>
Megan felt her face go hot like she was standing in front of an open flame. Being in front of a firing squad would have been more comfortable. And she’d been in front of one before.</p>
<p>
As Gooch laughed, her eyes narrowed as she whispered physical threats at him in French.</p>
<p>
Off to the side she heard a guitar strum as the young man from before, dark hair, soulful eyes, stepped to her side. As he started to sing the crowd’s attention shifted to him.</p>
<p>
Flashing her another smile, he quickly told her under the hum of his guitar, “Don’t let them get to you. You’re going to be nickel. Totem pole.”</p>
<p>
Was he having a stroke? Or just trying to coin some new teen phrase like Fetch.</p>
<p>
She wasn’t sure, but she decided to repeat it back like she knew what he meant, as she let out a nervous laugh. “Totem pole.”</p>
<p>
This was how one was supposed to act around their crush. Flighty and jittery and unsure of what you were supposed to say or do. Like you no longer knew what to do with your hands though you’d done just fine with them before then.</p>
<p>
It was all supposed to feel like a whole new experience where you didn’t know how to react to anything the other person did. Where you laughed too hard. Where you talked too fast. If you didn’t feel like you were screwing up you weren’t doing it right.</p>
<p>
It was supposed to make your head spin and your heart race. Like you had been thrown up high into the air while also feeling like you were falling deeper and deeper into the ocean of love.</p>
<p>
At least, that’s how it was portrayed in the teen dramas. And it was the kind of romance she wanted. The kind of romance she had always seen. And if she wanted to be normal, if she wanted to have the life she’d always dreamed of, this was the romance she was supposed to pursue.</p>
<p>
One of the teacher’s noticed what was going on as he called out to the room, “Let’s give it up for a little rock group that was number 24 on the itunes download list. Newton high’s own: Emotican!”</p>
<p>
The lunch room went wild as a drum beat filled the air as the boy on the guitar stepped up to a stage to the front of the lunchroom where another teen was playing a drum set.</p>
<p>
The room started to chant the lead’s name, “Cash. Cash!” as beside him a bass player joined the song.</p>
<p>
Smoke seemed to float out behind him as light reflected off it, making him look like some kind of warrior fresh from the battlefield.</p>
<p>
Looking around to make sure she wasn’t the only one seeing the vision she spotted Roger standing near the stage. He noticed her as well, as she excitedly pointed to the stage. A computer was in front of him. He pressed a button as more smoke filled the stage. Even being a part of it he did not seem that impressed by what was happening in front of him. But Megan was ecstatic. This was the exact thing she had always dreamed of: meeting the lead in a band. A guy with great hair and a devil may care smile.</p>
<p>
As she bobbed her head along with the music she spotted Liz off to the side. She was the only one not watching the show. Her head down, eyes fixed on the book in front of her. She looked as if the book had done her wrong as she glared at the page.</p>
<p>
Making her way over, Megan leaned in to call over the music, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make a scene.”</p>
<p>
The girl didn’t say anything. She wished she would. Anything, even an order to be left alone would be preferable to silence.</p>
<p>
“I’ll try to wear something more normal tomorrow.”</p>
<p>
Liz let out a snort. Even that was better than silence.</p>
<p>
Turning her glare on Megan, Liz told her, “I saw some of the clothes you unpacked. I don’t think you have anything that would qualify as normal.”</p>
<p>
She winced as Liz let out a snort of air with just the barest of laughs. Her body relaxed at the sound.</p>
<p>
Was this what it was like to have a sister? Someone who didn’t want anyone to know about your ties to one another, but when you were in trouble would be the first to step up and offer their help. Someone who would offer their own clothes off their back.</p>
<p>
Speaking of…</p>
<p>
“I better go change into that shirt you gave me.”</p>
<p>
“Make sure you wash if before you give it back.”</p>
<p>
She smiled as she watched Liz’ eyes return to the book.</p>
<p>
It really was nice to have a friend.</p>
<p>
___</p><p>Megan was running late as she hurried into her science class. As she was entering the teacher was telling the class to, “Open up to the first page.”</p>
<p>
At the back of the room she spotted Liz. The girl was frowning aggressively as she threw a paper airplane back at the butt grabber. If she asked, Megan would teach her how to use paper to torture a man. Few thought about it, but wounds to the eye were an effective torture method.</p>
<p>
“Why can’t you be more like Cash?” called the teacher, bringing her attention back to reality.</p>
<p>
Reality where teachers had their favorites, a position this teacher had obviously appointed to Cash, as the older man told the room, “He’s got his book out and he’s ready to learn.”</p>
<p>
Cash, she just then realized was also part of her class. He gave the teacher a strained smile while looking like he’d like to disappear into the pages of his book.</p>
<p>
Roger was there as well as he waved her over to the empty seat beside him. Past him Liz was avoiding her gaze again.</p>
<p>
Letting out a sigh she turned her smile on Roger as she joined him.</p>
<p>
“Megan from Canada, right?”</p>
<p>
She felt excitement bubble in her chest. This was what they called “joking around.” Joking like they didn’t remember the conversation they’d had earlier in the day.</p>
<p>
“Yeah. And you’re the AV geek.” She said it like she couldn’t completely remember.</p>
<p>
His nose scrunched as he laughed, “Yeah, well, Roger is fine.”</p>
<p>
Before she took a seat she looked down, stopping as she noticed a slimy object on the stool.</p>
<p>
“Oh,” Roger picked it up, holding it out to her as he asked, ‘You hungry?”</p>
<p>
She had eaten far worse things to stay alive on missions. But a normal girl would be disgusted.</p>
<p>
She acted grossed out as she firmly told him, “Nope.”</p>
<p>
“Okay.”</p>
<p>
He tossed the piece of dead animal away before wiping away the remaining slime onto a piece of paper towel. He then dramatically motioned to the seat as he called her, “Milady.”</p>
<p>
Another joke. She was really enjoying this day.</p>
<p>
“Thanks. I guess you didn’t need that.”</p>
<p>
‘Yeah,” he used his scalpel to pick up a piece of the frog still left on the trey, “Oh, no. I hope he didn’t “Kermit” suicide.”</p>
<p>
She snorted. This was actually pretty easy. Maybe she wasn’t as bad at making friends as some people made it seem. Perhaps she’d just been pursuing the wrong types of people.</p>
<p>
“I heard this class is “ribbiting.’”</p>
<p>
He covered a laugh as his face stretched with a smile. “I wouldn’t “leap” to conclusions.”</p>
<p>
This was that casual banter she had taken note of among TV friends.</p>
<p>
“Mr. Drumm can be pretty rough,” added Roger in warning.</p>
<p>
As if to confirm this she heard the man at the front of the room call out to the pair, “Hey, new girl, focus.”</p>
<p>
Roger leaned in as he whispered, “Told you.”</p>
<p>
She smiled, sure Mr. Drumm’s version of rough was nothing compared to Hardman’s.</p>
<p>
He had once locked her in a meat locker to train her to work under “Cold conditions.” She could still remember the feeling of her joints slowing down the longer she was locked up.</p>
<p>
Roger laughed as he proceeded to ask her about Canada as they worked on dissecting the frog. She’d done research on the region she claimed to be from as she informed him of all the things she’d learned. He ate it all up as he told her about the area she currently lived in.</p>
<p>
She couldn’t be sure, but she felt like she was finally making a friend.</p>
<p>
When the end of class came the teacher held them back for a moment as he told them, “I know everybody got to sit with their buddies today, but I’m the one who chooses lab partners. Tomorrow the seating chart will be up and we’ll have a wonderful time. Now get out of here,” when no one immediately moved he insisted, “I’m not kidding. Get out of here.”</p>
<p>
Roger adjusted the strap of his bag, sounding disappointed as he admitted, “It was nice knowing you.”</p>
<p>
She nodded, feeling disappointed that they wouldn’t be sitting next to each other. In the movies, being someone’s lab partner was a vital component in becoming closer to them.</p>
<p>
Behind her she heard someone humming as she looked back to watch Cash as he gathered up his things.</p>
<p>
Closer.</p>
<p>
Lab partners.</p>
<p>
If she could manage to get paired up with him she would have a chance to get to know him better. To give him a chance to get to know her. And then eventually they would fall for one another.</p>
<p>
That was how it always went in the movies.</p>
<p>
She thought she was the last one out of the room as she was slower in collecting her things. As she headed towards the door she heard a set of footsteps running up behind her as a familiar voice called out, “Oh, Canada.”</p>
<p>
Before Gooch could slap her butt again, she twisted out of his way as her own hand took a hold of his, twisting it back behind him as she pressed him forward into the teacher’s desk.</p>
<p>
As he let out a pained yelp, she pressed him down more as she growled into his ear, “Touch me again and I’ll break this hand.” He yelped as she bent it back more. Then, “Actually, you know what, choose now. Hand or finger.”</p>
<p>
The boy struggled, but though he was bigger she was stronger. She made him cry out again as she pushed him down so his cheek was flush against the desk, “Choose.”</p>
<p>
“Neither.”</p>
<p>
She tightened the flexion on his wrist. “Choose.”</p>
<p>
He yelped, tears in his eyes, “Finger.” He screamed as she dislocated the joint. As soon as she did she let him go as he spun around, moving away from her as he held his finger.</p>
<p>
Through gritted teeth he threatened, “I’m going to make you pay for this, you crazy B.”</p>
<p>
She chuckled darkly, signaling to him she was not scared by him in the least, “No one will believe you. There were no witnesses,” she motioned to the empty classroom as she confidently stalked closer. His eyes widened in fear as he stumbled back, “It’s your word against mine,” her head tilted to the side as she batted her eyes innocently, “And who’s going to believe that someone of my frame was able to take you down. Even if you try,” her tone darkened, “I’ll just tell them all you’re a liar. That you’re only doing it for attention. And with the way you act everyone will agree that you had it coming.”</p>
<p>
He opened his mouth to protest, but nothing came out as he ended up staring at her like a dead fish. She made another big step at him as he flinched.</p>
<p>
“Let that,” she pointed to his finger, “be a reminder to you. Though you consented to have your finger broken it wasn’t really what you wanted. Someone stronger than you forced you into a situation where there was no winning for you.</p>
<p>
“Remember that the next time you think about touching someone without their consent. Unless they agree to you touching them I suggest you keep your hands to yourself, or someone might take away your choice in what happens to your hands. And at that time there might be a wood chipper nearby.”</p>
<p>
He looked queasy as Megan left the room.</p>
<p>
It might not have been how a normal girl would have reacted, but it felt good. And in this case, cutting off a sleaze at the start was better than being normal.</p>
<p>
___</p><p>What was uncalled for was what Megan did later in the night.</p>
<p>
Once the night janitor had passed the room she let herself down from a rope into the science teacher’s office. Logging onto his computer she made sure to place her name next to Cash’s on the seating chart.</p>
<p>
Her eyes looked over the other names as she spotted Liz’s name first, then Rogers. Frowning for a moment as she considered things, she finally moved them both to the lab station in front of hers. This way she could have her cake and eat it too.</p>
<p>
Build up her relationship with Cash while being able to joke around with Roger. Seeing Megan interact with her friends might even help her endear herself to Cash faster.</p>
<p>
After that she snuck back into her host home undetected. Or so she thought, until the light to her room came on.</p>
<p>
Liz stood in the doorway; hand on the light switch as she inquired, “Where did you go?”</p>
<p>
Truly, she would have made a very good spy.</p>
<p>
Before Megan could come up with an excuse, Liz held up her hand in signal for her to stop, “No. Never mind. I don’t care. Just keep whatever weirdness it is to yourself. I’m not going to let you hurt my family.”</p>
<p>
Pausing on her way out, she looked back as she told her, “Dinner’s ready.”</p>
<p>
She closed the door behind her, cutting herself off from hearing Megan as she weakly assured her, “I won’t hurt your family.”</p>
<p>
And she meant it.</p>
<p>
If only she believed it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Megan spends time with her host brother</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After dinner Mrs. Larson told Liz, “I need you to watch your brother.”</p>
<p>
The girl let out a tired groan like she’d been given the worst news ever.</p>
<p>
Like the time Megan had been told that she was going to have to search a sewer for an important item another agent had flushed down the toilet. The agent had been X and to this day she suspected she’d done it on purpose.</p>
<p>
Watching one’s brother didn’t sound as bad as that.</p>
<p>
“I’ll do it,” offered Megan.</p>
<p>
Mrs. Larson assured her it was alright. “Liz, he’s your brother. And I’ll be back before midnight.”</p>
<p>
Liz grumbled, but gave into her mother’s orders in the end.</p>
<p>
Being part of a family seemed to have some similarities to Prescott. There you couldn’t turn down a mission either.</p>
<p>
Once Mrs. Larson was gone Liz told Parker, “I’m going to my room. Don’t break anything.”</p>
<p>
“But you’re supposed to watch me,” stated Parker with a whine to his voice.</p>
<p>
“I can watch him.”</p>
<p>
Liz frowned at Megan’s offer like she didn’t believe her. But Megan had always wanted a younger sibling. Younger. Older. It actually didn’t matter to her which.</p>
<p>
If allowed, she could finally live out that fantasy.</p>
<p>
Rolling her eyes, Liz let out a tired sigh as she said, “Fine. Whatever.”</p>
<p>
Once Liz was gone Parker pulled out a set of ninja stars.</p>
<p>
“Teach me how to use these.”</p>
<p>
She took them from him as he let out a cry of protest, “I don’t know. Your sister didn’t like it when you had those nunchucks. Wouldn’t you rather play with something that can’t kill someone?”</p>
<p>
She frowned as she recalled her unorthodox weapon training. If you used them right, most things could be turned into a weapon.</p>
<p>
Parker seemed to know this as well as he told her, “You can kill someone with anything.”</p>
<p>
It was true. She had once killed a man with a set of chopsticks.</p>
<p>
“Yes well, let’s just try playing with something less dangerous than throwing stars.”</p>
<p>
“Can we play Avengers?”</p>
<p>
She didn’t know what that was as she had him show her. It was a set of plastic dolls, much more elaborate than the one she had made when she was younger.</p>
<p>
“Who is the mother and who is the father?”</p>
<p>
Obviously the red haired woman. The only woman in the group. But then who was the father and what role did the rest of the men play?</p>
<p>
Parker frowned at her question, “They’re not a family. They are a team,” he started to give her the rundown on each of the characters before giving her the mission assignment.</p>
<p>
She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when Liz came down.</p>
<p>
“What are you doing?”</p>
<p>
Parker was standing on the back of the couch as Megan lay on the ground with pillows piled on top of her.</p>
<p>
“There was an avalanche,” explained Parker.</p>
<p>
Liz rolled her eyes as she headed to the kitchen. As she went her brother called after her in a pleading tone, “Come play with us.”</p>
<p>
‘No.”</p>
<p>
“Come on. Megan is playing. You say you are too old to play, but she’s the same age as you.”</p>
<p>
Liz frowned as she came back into the room holding a glass of water. She gave Megan a look like the girl had betrayed her. She knew the look well, having received it on multiple occasions from Agent X.</p>
<p>
This situation did not seem to warrant the reaction.</p>
<p>
Hurrying over to his sister, Parker grabbed her free hand as he pulled her towards the couch, “Please, Lizzie. You used to play with me all the time. Just this once can you play with me again,” his little voice broke as he looked up at her with big, puppy dog eyes.</p>
<p>
Megan had heard the expression used but never seen it in action. It was said to be very effective and she found herself wanting to agree to play with him even though she already was.</p>
<p>
Even Liz wasn’t immune as she let out a tired sigh as her head dropped back, “Fine. But I get to pick who I play.”</p>
<p>
By the time Mrs. Larson got home Liz was lost in the game like the rest of them, as they army crawled their characters across the living room floor.</p>
<p>
The older woman smiled at the sight as she went, “Isn’t that sweet.”</p>
<p>
As soon as she realized she had an audience Liz jumped up, tossing her toy onto the couch as she declared, ‘I’m going to bed.”</p>
<p>
“But we have to finish saving Monrovia,” called Parker.</p>
<p>
His sister ignored him as they heard her bedroom door close.</p>
<p>
“You actually need to go to bed,” stated his mother as she checked the time, frowning as she realized, “You should have been in bed a long time ago.”</p>
<p>
The boy’s body shook as he let out a protesting whine.</p>
<p>
Seeing he was upset, Megan assured him, “We can finish saving them tomorrow.”</p>
<p>
His shoulders dropped as he stated with a pout, “That’s what Liz used to say. Then tomorrow never came.”</p>
<p>
He looked so dejected as he slumped up the stairs.</p>
<p>
Was this what being an older sister was like? Being the kind of person who one day let your sibling down on a regular basis.</p>
<p>
Was the family she had imagined only a dream?</p>
<p>
If she was wrong about this, what other things had she misunderstood?</p>
<p>
Was she even really in love with Cash, or was that all something she had created in order to fit into her fantasy world?</p>
<p>
What did she actually want from life?</p>
<p>
What was real?</p>
<p>
____</p><p>Megan had been trained to be a light sleeper. That was why she came awake when she heard the screaming.</p>
<p>
Panic filled her as for a moment she forgot where she was, thinking herself back at Prescott. Leaping out of bed she was about to grab her weapon when she noticed the lace curtains and wardrobe where Parker had taped a family portrait he’d drawn for her.</p>
<p>
The image helped her in calming down before she heard the scream again.</p>
<p>
Hurrying down the hall she followed the sounds back to Parker’s room. The little boy was sitting up in bed, tears in his eyes as Liz sat beside him, holding him close in comfort.</p>
<p>
“What—what’s wrong?”</p>
<p>
She sounded out of breath, panic having closed up her throat.</p>
<p>
‘I had a nightmare,” answered Parker weakly.</p>
<p>
She blinked, not recognizing the word at first. Then she remembered.</p>
<p>
Night terrors, or night annoyances as the trainers at Prescott like to call them. Many girls had woken screaming from such occurrences.</p>
<p>
Seeing she hadn’t left yet, Liz assured her, “I got this,” as she tucked her brother back into bed.</p>
<p>
‘I want Megan to stay,” stated the boy.</p>
<p>
“I’ll stay with you.”</p>
<p>
“I want Megan to stay.”</p>
<p>
Liz frowned.</p>
<p>
Was she disappointed?</p>
<p>
Annoyed.</p>
<p>
She couldn’t tell.</p>
<p>
‘Why don’t we both stay?”</p>
<p>
This time she could tell for sure that Liz did not like the suggestion, but did not stop her as Megan came over to take the spot on the other side of Parker’s bed. Liz was holding her brother’s hand, squeezing it reassuringly as she used her other hand to brush back the hair from his forehead.</p>
<p>
Megan took his other hand as she gave it her own reassuring squeeze.</p>
<p>
‘Ow.”</p>
<p>
“Sorry.”</p>
<p>
As they both got comfortable, Parker informed Megan, “I dreamed we got trapped in the middle of a zombie invasion.”</p>
<p>
Liz didn’t look happy as she scolded him, “I told you not to watch that video.”</p>
<p>
Turning away from his sister, Parker looked to Megan for sympathy as he asked, “If zombies attacked could you keep us safe?”</p>
<p>
“If they were like the ones in Warm Bodies or Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, of course.”</p>
<p>
The boy smiled, “How?”</p>
<p>
Across the bed, Liz gave her a look like Don’t indulge him.</p>
<p>
She ignored the look as she went into a detailed account of all the things she would do to prep the home to defend against the horde along with all the things she would do to keep them safe. She was only halfway through the list when Parker’s breathing softened as he drifted off to sleep.</p>
<p>
“You are so weird,” stated Liz. Her eyes shifted to the side as she mumbled, “but, I guess in this case it’s not a bad thing.”</p>
<p>
Seeing her work was done, Megan started to shift out of the bed.</p>
<p>
Before she could get out Liz told her to wait, “He’s not fully asleep yet. Just stay there for now.”</p>
<p>
Parker let out a content sigh as he moved his hands up to his chest. As the girl’s hands were still clutched in his, Megan felt her knuckles brush against Liz’s.</p>
<p>
It was like that first jolt she’d felt when she’d first looked into the girl’s eyes. This time it went through her whole body, not just her heart. Liz didn’t look to feel anything as she closed her eyes, sinking down into the bed as she got comfortable for the long wait.</p>
<p>
“Where’s your mom?” whispered Megan.</p>
<p>
“She’s a heavy sleeper,” replied Liz as she shifted her shoulders then grew still. </p><p>In the middle of the night Megan came awake. Something had a hold of her hand.</p>
<p>
She pulled away from it but the thing had a tight hold. She heard the other end let out a tired groan as a lump beside her shifted.</p>
<p>
Immediately she remembered where she was: Parker’s bed. Sometime between then and now she’d fallen asleep. Then that meant the thing holding her hand could only be—Parker’s hand.</p>
<p>
That’s what she thought, but as his hand slid away from hers she found another hand holding hers. One that was the same size as hers with long slender fingers.</p>
<p>
Following the fingers up the wrist her heart fluttered when she realized it was Liz’s hand she was holding. Her features were soft with sleep. Her mouth, which was usually pulled down in a frown, was currently relaxed as her lower lip twitched with her slow breathing.</p>
<p>
She looked like an ethereal being, the moonlight coming through the curtains making it look like she was glowing. The sight made her heart jolt, slamming against the inside of her ribcage.</p>
<p>
Did fingers always fold this well into each other? Or was each one like the piece of a puzzle, only fitting with the one it belonged with?</p>
<p>
She wanted to wake up Liz and ask her, but felt like the only thing that could wake her up right now would be love’s true kiss.</p>
<p>
If she tried, would Liz wake up?</p>
<p>
Letting out a tired groan she closed her eyes before anymore strange thoughts came to her mind.</p>
<p>
Why did she have so much trouble being normal?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Megan wonders at what "normal" is for her</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>In science class the next day she came in just as the teacher was greeting the class. Liz was at the front of the room in the seat she had assigned her. She completely ignored Megan as she passed her.</p>
<p>
Of course she was disappointed.</p>
<p>
She had made the mistake of thinking they had bonded while playing with Parker, but that had just been another misunderstanding due to her over active imagination.</p>
<p>
The only thing that perked her up was finding “Dreamy Eyes” in the seat beside hers.</p>
<p>
Cash smiled as she sat down, letting out a chill, “Hey.”</p>
<p>
She giggled like it meant the world to her to hear his voice, “It’s so funny we ended up together.”</p>
<p>
Cash smiled that devil may care smile that all leading men had mastered, “Yeah. Biology’s kind of tricky and you seem smart.”</p>
<p>
Ah yes, the smart girl and cool guy with low to moderate ambitions trope.</p>
<p>
She wasn’t sure if she could pull it off. Sure she had chemical, anatomical, and biological training, but it all involved ways of ending people’s lives. She wasn’t sure if that would help with high school biology.</p>
<p>
But she wasn’t going to let him know that, as she confidently replied, ‘Yeah, it’s definitely a good match.”</p>
<p>
Footsteps approached. She didn’t think anything of them till a voice impatiently said, “Um, hi. I think you’re in my seat.”</p>
<p>
It was the stink eye girl and her smiley friend. The yes friend who did everything her more verbal friend ordered her to do.</p>
<p>
The smiley one confirmed Megan wasn’t just projecting her movie misunderstandings on them as she parroted her friend, “You’re in her seat.”</p>
<p>
Then, looking past her, both girls breathily went, “Hi Cash,” like he was the actual air they breathed.</p>
<p>
Ignoring their panting stairs at the boy, Megan informed them, “Trust me, I’m at station six.”</p>
<p>
The girl frowned, losing her starry eyed gaze as she fixed Megan with a harsh gaze, “Yeah, no. I’m pretty sure I’m there--.”</p>
<p>
From the front of the room the teacher cut her off as he called, “Did everybody find their seats okay?”</p>
<p>
Through gritted teeth Stink Eye told her, “Come on, Canada, out of my seat.”</p>
<p>
“Every year I pick a very special someone to be my lab assistant,” stated the teacher, “And guess what? Who’s it going to be,” he pretended like he was going to make the choice random, but to no one’s surprise he called out, “Cash! Come this way, brother.”</p>
<p>
The teacher seemed to have a bigger crush on the youth than his classmates. It was creepy. Really creepy. Was it supposed to be funny? She couldn’t tell. All it did for her was make her cringe.</p>
<p>
As Cash moved to the front, the teacher said, “And so that leaves,” he searched the room for someone to take the spot beside Megan as the two girls from before scurried away before he could pick them.</p>
<p>
“I can sit with her,” offered Roger.</p>
<p>
Megan had completely forgotten she’d given him the seat beside Liz, as she watched him raise his hand.</p>
<p>
The girl beside him ducked her head as the teacher’s head shifted to her table.</p>
<p>
“Uh,” he looked to think then went, “No. You two girls sit together,” he pointed at Liz, “Roger you can work with…” he pointed back to Stink Eye who let out a tired groan.</p>
<p>
Megan smiled as Liz moved her stuff back to the seat beside her.</p>
<p>
‘I guess we’re partners.”</p>
<p>
Liz groaned as she rolled her eyes to the side, “Please don’t talk to me.”</p>
<p>
There was a lump in her throat as she shifted her gaze down the table surface. Someone had etched in their initials plus another set of initials followed by the words “Best friends 4eva.”</p>
<p>
Why couldn’t she have that kind of relationship with anyone?</p>
<p>
“Psst, could you pass me my pencil?”</p>
<p>
She smiled as she looked back to see Roger behind and diagonal to her, “Hey.”</p>
<p>
‘Hey.”</p>
<p>
She grabbed his pencil before handing it back to him as she advised him, “Try not to ham up this experiment.”</p>
<p>
He chuckled as he took his pencil, “And you be sure not to be so ham-fisted.”</p>
<p>
Liz groaned as she pushed back her bangs from her forehead. A sweet scent wafted off her as she moved. The smell of flowers. Taking a breath, Megan closed her eyes as she pictured herself in a field of flowers, the tree leaves rustling in the wind as up on a hill sunlight glistened off the dress Liz wore. In the light she looked like she was glowing as she smiled at Megan like she had that day at the train station.</p>
<p>
The vision faded as she recalled how Liz couldn’t even look at her anymore, let alone smile.</p>
<p>
“I know I’m weird, passionate, and can be a little abrasive, but you know I mean well, right?”</p>
<p>
Her smile was hopeful as she watched Liz’s gaze shift over to her. For a moment she looked like she was going to say something then her attention went back to the fetal pig in front of them.</p>
<p>
“I am a lot of things, but what I’m not is your dad. I won’t hurt you like he did.”</p>
<p>
She watched Liz’s jaw flex at the mention of her absent father.</p>
<p>
“I personally don’t know how much it can hurt a person to lose their father since I never knew mine, but I do know what it feels like to not have a dad.”</p>
<p>
Liz was playing with the ring on her finger. Megan had noticed her wearing it as much as she did her paperclip necklace. It looked like a class ring, perhaps her father’s. Usually she saw Liz twisting it on her finger when she was thinking. Now memories of her father seemed to be making her play with it.</p>
<p>
“You’re right,” came her harsh reply, “you shouldn’t act like you know me. Like we have stuff in common. My pain is my own.”</p>
<p>
“Sorry. I’m not trying to diminish your pain. I just…I was trying to say you’re not alone.”</p>
<p>
Liz gripped her fists so tight her knuckles went white. “Yeah, everyone has their pain. Everyone has someone they’ve lost. Thanks. I’ve already heard it.”</p>
<p>
Megan winced as she realizedshe’d said the wrong thing.</p>
<p>
“Sorry, I didn’t mean…” her voice broke and she didn’t feel like continuing.</p>
<p>
What could she say to fix something she’d already messed up?</p>
<p>
Yet again she had been rejected like she always was with Agent X.</p>
<p>
Turned down.</p>
<p>
Shot at.</p>
<p>
Ridiculed.</p>
<p>
All the painful memories came rushing back to her like a waterfall as she felt her eyes sting with tears.</p>
<p>
Her hand shot up as she told the teacher, ‘I have to go. Restroom,” before she rushed out of the room without waiting for his permission.</p>
<p>
In the bathroom she gripped the edge of the counter as she took in deep calming breaths. She wasn’t going to break down like this. It wasn’t something to be upset about.</p>
<p>
Who cared if Agent X always saw her as a pest? It didn’t matter to her that the girl was probably celebrating her disappearance. She had always seen her as a pest. Treated her like she was a nuisance that needed squashed.</p>
<p>
It didn’t really matter if Liz saw her the same way. If she reminded the girl of her absent father.</p>
<p>
But if Liz were her friend she would have tried to do something to help her. Come up with some event they could do together to help her forget her pain. Have a girl’s night where they could talk out their feelings, performing a purge that left them feeling better by the end.</p>
<p>
The door creaked behind her as she quickly wiped at her face before turning to face the door.</p>
<p>
It was Liz.</p>
<p>
She looked away as soon as their eyes met. Biting her lip, the two stood there for a moment in silent, neither sure what to do.</p>
<p>
Leave.</p>
<p>
That was probably the best course of action.</p>
<p>
She started to move to the door when Liz grunted, “Sorry.”</p>
<p>
She stopped, “Sorry? Why are you sorry?”</p>
<p>
“You’re right. You’re not my dad. I shouldn’t treat you like you’re the one who hurt us. But,” she pointed at Megan as she said, “I still don’t like you.”</p>
<p>
“That’s fair. I guess,” her frown deepened as she realized, “No. It’s not fair. You haven’t even tried to get to know me.”</p>
<p>
“I know you’re weird.”</p>
<p>
A soft smile, “But I don’t mean to be. I’m trying so hard to be normal. Like everyone else. To just fit in.”</p>
<p>
Liz looked away, “Normal is whatever you are. If we were all the same life would be boring.”</p>
<p>
“Then what am I supposed to do?” her voice broke again and she felt like crying.</p>
<p>
“You shouldn’t be so worried about being normal. You need to decide for yourself what normal looks like for you,” Liz’s high tops squeaked as she took a hesitant step closer to her, “You’re right. I haven’t given you a chance. But Parker loves you and you are really good with him and he’s a pretty good judge of character. Other than our dad. Which,” her eyes dropped to the floor, “I get. He’s our dad and Parker is a good kid who cares about everyone. So, for him, I will give you a chance.”</p>
<p>
Megan smiled, feeling like she was finally making some progress as she excitedly said, “I won’t let you down.”</p>
<p>
Liz gave her a once over like she wasn’t sure that would be true, “Whatever. Wierdo,” this time when she said it the word didn’t sound like a bad thing. They actually seemed to be making progress as Megan realized they might actually be making a connection. Connecting with someone who despised her. Someone who was always brutally honest with her. And if that wasn’t something a friend did the only other thing that would make her was an enemy. And she didn’t want another enemy. She already had so many, including herself, her worst enemy of all.</p>
<p>
What could be more normal than that?</p>
<p>
Was that the kind of normal she wanted for herself?</p>
<p>
____</p><p>After class, Stink Eye and her friend caught up with Megan in the hall. They moved in, walking on either side of her like predators closing in on their prey.</p>
<p>
“Megan, hi. I couldn’t help noticing you’re into Cash, huh?”</p>
<p>
Megan frowned. Apparently she’d been doing things right if people around her had noticed.</p>
<p>
“I don’t blame you,” added the girl’s friend, “If I wasn’t such a strict Vegan, I’d be like, all over that.”</p>
<p>
With a nervous laugh, Megan voiced an agreeable, “Tell me about that.”</p>
<p>
“So ironic though,” stated Stink Eye, “All of those groupies and sluts that constantly hang all over him.”</p>
<p>
“Yeah,” parroted her friend, “They’re not even his type.”</p>
<p>
She knew this was her cue to ask, “What is his type?” saying it in a way that made her sound interested, but not desperate.</p>
<p>
“Girls who like dressing up,” stated Smiles.</p>
<p>
“Like models?”</p>
<p>
“Not even close,” The girls side eyed each other before holding out a paper to Megan.</p>
<p>
At the top of the page, the words “Mascot tryouts” was written in stylized text.</p>
<p>
‘Mascots?” this time she couldn’t hide her emotions, feeling confusion at their words.</p>
<p>
‘Mm hmm.”</p>
<p>
This did not compute at all.</p>
<p>
“All my high school research suggests that they’re awkward loners, not musical enough for the band, too uncoordinated for track.”</p>
<p>
Stink Eye had a reassuring smile as she told her, ‘I know it sounds weird, but school spirit, it’s like, really big here.”</p>
<p>
“And Cash loves school spirit,” added Smiles.</p>
<p>
“Yeah, why do you think Emotacon performs at every pep rally?”</p>
<p>
“School spirit.”</p>
<p>
Warning bells started ringing at the girl’s exuberance. It just didn’t match up with how they’d reacted to her up till now. Their cold stares, snarled lips.</p>
<p>
“Yeah, I mean, who wants to be some rando screaming in the crowd?”</p>
<p>
“I wouldn’t.”</p>
<p>
They were using pack tactics, agreeing with one another to make their point seem sound. Now they were trying to put a bad thing in a good light, claiming they wanted it themselves when they actually wanted nothing to do with it.</p>
<p>
She had evaded the cheerleaders and their plot earlier, she was not about to fall for this trap now.</p>
<p>
“But mascots go backstage,” continued Stink Eye.</p>
<p>
“They go backstage,” stated Smiles with an air of wonder like it was the most magical statement ever spoken.</p>
<p>
“And you would have him all to yourself.”</p>
<p>
It was those words that woke a memory in her head. It was what all the girls in teen dramas wanted. A moment to be alone with the man of their dreams. Just a moment when they could have intimate time together to realize just how much they had in common.</p>
<p>
This was what she was supposed to want.</p>
<p>
As a normal girl.</p>
<p>
“But you should hurry before some other girl snags the spot.”</p>
<p>
“Yeah, thanks.”</p>
<p>
She was still feeling unsure as she turned away. Everything in her mind told her this was a trick. This wasn’t the way to win a guy over.</p>
<p>
But if she were wrong she would lose her chance. If it was an actual chance worth pursuing.</p>
<p>
She let out a heavy sigh as she rested her head against the cold metal of her locker.</p>
<p>
“Okay, don’t get me wrong—I don’t actually care, but,” she lifted her head to find Liz standing beside her. She wore a frown as she added, “But since we’ve called a truce—what’s wrong?”</p>
<p>
With the way the girls had fought for the seat next to Cash earlier she couldn’t understand why they would be trying to help her get close to him now. But wasn’t that how girls were supposed to act? To be so obsessed with a guy that you do things only because you want a chance to impress the guy. To have all your thoughts centered on him and what he liked. Fully focused on his desires and needs so that she completely forgot about her own.</p>
<p>
She hadn’t ever been this confused and she’d once had to diffuse a chemical bomb put together by a dyslexic maniac.</p>
<p>
Letting out a resigned sigh, she related her problem to Liz then asked, “What do you think?”</p>
<p>
Liz let out a tired sigh, “No, it shouldn’t be all about the guy and his feelings. If you have to force yourself to act a certain way in order to get a person’s attention they are not going to make you happy. Because then you won’t be being true to yourself. Instead of worrying what everyone else wants you to be, why don’t you just be yourself?”</p>
<p>
“What if I don’t know who I am? If I were to find out what should I do? Shopping spree? Movie marathon.”</p>
<p>
She got a patented Liz eye roll, “Enough with the shows. You are rotting your brain with that fantasy drivel. If you want to actually learn who you are, what your normal is, you need to get out there and live.”</p>
<p>
She frowned, not completely sure she was following Liz’s line of thinking, “Then I should try out for mascot.”</p>
<p>
A groan, “Only if you want to.”</p>
<p>
She stopped to think.</p>
<p>
What was it that she wanted?</p>
<p>
At the present there was just one thing she could think of. Something she had wanted for a long time.</p>
<p>
“I know it’s cheesy, but I’ve always wanted to go on a shopping spree with my best friend.”</p>
<p>
Liz let out a groan that said she knew where this was going and was not happy about it.</p>
<p>
“Fine. But this doesn’t actually make us friends.”</p>
<p>
She smiled, fine with Liz’s words.</p>
<p>
It was fine that she wasn’t her friend because the way she was acting was more like a sister. A sister gave advice when you weren’t sure of what to do. When they weren’t doing that they acted like hanging out with you was the worst thing ever.</p>
<p>
But, she frowned at the thought, if she was wrong about how to like a guy, perhaps she was wrong about what a sister acted like.</p>
<p>
Perhaps it was time she rethought all her Intel.</p>
<p>
___</p><p>On the drive to the mall, Megan let out an excited squeal as she turned up the radio.</p>
<p>
“I love this song.”</p>
<p>
Liz was frowning, but she noticed the girl bob her head along with the tune. When Megan started to sing along, Liz rolled her eyes, but by the second chorus she had joined in.</p>
<p>
“Live fast, die young. Bad girls do it well.”</p>
<p>
The two bobbed their bodies hard with the lyrics, as Megan slapped the dashboard with her hands to go along with the lyrics of the song.</p>
<p>
‘My chain hits my chest when I’m banging on the dashboard.”</p>
<p>
Liz’s eyes were focused on the road even as she swayed her shoulders with the beats.</p>
<p>
“Pull me closer if you think you can hang, Hands up, hands tied. Don’t go screaming if I blow you with a bang.”</p>
<p>
She laughed. This was just like a scene from a movie. Two girls hanging out, having a good time, singing along to the lyrics of the hot pop song of the time.</p>
<p>
The lyrics sounded like they were about a robbery, about a high speed chase. All things Megan had experienced, but here in this moment her heart was racing faster than it had in those times.</p>
<p>
Her smile faltered as she started to sing the lyrics, “What we got left is just me and you.” Her voice going silent as Liz continued for her, “But if I go to bed, baby, can I take you?” She turned, fixing Megan with a smile that stopped her heart.</p>
<p>
“Get back, get down,” continued Liz as if she didn’t notice Megan’s wide eyed stare, “Pull me closer if you think you can hang.”</p>
<p>
She wore a crooked grin that made Megan’s heart flutter.</p>
<p>
Was she directing these words at Megan, or just singing?</p>
<p>
Was this one of those occasions when the lyrics fit the sentiments of the scene? A desire to be closer to one another.</p>
<p>
She licked her lips, unsure what she was supposed to do.</p>
<p>
She looked away even as her heart pounded against the inside of her chest. Her hands felt sweaty as she rubbed them on the knees of her jeans.</p>
<p>
Why was she acting like this?</p>
<p>
Liz was like a sister to her. The only time she was supposed to desire sleeping in the same bed as her was for a sleep over.</p>
<p>
Yes, that had to be it. She wanted to have a sleep over with Liz. Like the ones she saw in the movies. Like the sleep over in that Hayley Kiyoko music video.</p>
<p>
“Sleep overs in my bed, oh yeah. At least I got you in my head.”</p>
<p>
She scrunched her eyes shut as she recalled the visuals of that video.</p>
<p>
No.</p>
<p>
Not that kind of sleep over.</p>
<p>
“Are you okay?” Liz sounded genuinely worried as Megan took in slow, practiced breaths.</p>
<p>
She needed to calm her heart.</p>
<p>
Giving her a strained smile, she assured her, “I’m fine.”</p>
<p>
Liz didn’t look convinced but let it go as she pulled into the shopping mall.</p>
<p>
At least this terribly awkward experience was over.</p>
<p>
Be normal.</p>
<p>
Why couldn’t she be normal?</p><p>___</p><p>At the mall, Megan spotted several families walking together. There was a father, mother, and two little kids.</p>
<p>
With each grouping of parents and children they passed Liz’s frown deepened.</p>
<p>
After Mrs. Larson had told her she was divorced, Megan had not thought to ask more about it.</p>
<p>
Did all families have such hard secrets that nobody wanted to mention for fear of the wounds opening up again?</p>
<p>
Megan’s eyes drifted away from the families to a store window. She let out a gasp as she hurried over, the glass cold against her hands as she came up against the clear barricade.</p>
<p>
“What’s wrong?” Liz was at her elbow. Though untrained she was as silent as someone who had gone through the strictest of training at Prescott.</p>
<p>
“See that,” she pointed to a velvet box which displayed a necklace, “That looks just like the necklace from Titanic.”</p>
<p>
Liz rolled her eyes to the side, “You are obsessed. Is that how you spent all your time in Canada?”</p>
<p>
Shaking her head she started to leave, stopping as a different spark caught her eye. The look on her face was not one of excitement, but one of deep sorrow.</p>
<p>
“Those earrings,” her voice was soft, just above a whisper, “they look like mom’s.”</p>
<p>
They weren’t elaborate pieces. Just a set of simple diamond earrings with jewels position along a half moon.</p>
<p>
“They’re pretty.”</p>
<p>
“She used to wear them all the time.”</p>
<p>
“Why doesn’t she wear them anymore?”</p>
<p>
Liz’s jawline hardened as her voice broke when she started to talk. She paused to clear her throat before stating hardly, “Dad ran off with them.”</p>
<p>
“Why?”</p>
<p>
“Probably to sell them.”</p>
<p>
She turned away with a hard, sad look in her eyes as she walked off.</p>
<p>
Megan turned back, looking at the shop’s window.</p>
<p>
Pain.</p>
<p>
It seemed to be as much a part of family as togetherness.</p><p>____</p><p>“You are not convincing me to put that on.”</p>
<p>
The girls had found themselves in a clothing store. More like Megan had dragged Liz into the store, to “try things on.”</p>
<p>
“Come on, please. Trying on ridiculous outfits is half the fun.”</p>
<p>
“And changing in and out of them is going to turn my hair into a static mess. And I don’t see the point in putting something on if I have no desire to buy it.”</p>
<p>
“Have you ever tried just putting things on for fun?”</p>
<p>
Liz wouldn’t look at her.</p>
<p>
“It’s fun.”</p>
<p>
A snort.</p>
<p>
“If you’re never tried it how can you be sure you won’t enjoy it?”</p>
<p>
From the way Liz continued to look away, Megan was sure she was just applying logic to the situation, taking who she was coupled with the things she did and did not like to decide that she would most likely not enjoy this spontaneous act.</p>
<p>
“Come on. You don’t really know how much you’ll hate something till you’ve tried it.”</p>
<p>
“And that’s supposed to be a selling point?”</p>
<p>
Megan pulled a fuzzy orange hat over Liz’s head. She laughed at the stunned expression on the girl’s face. She looked like one of those cats in the videos where owners put a flower on their head.</p>
<p>
There was a moment when she alone was laughing, but soon the air filled with the sound of both their laughter as Liz started throwing random items on her.</p>
<p>
It was super fun and super silly and for the whole time she forgot she had once been a trained assassin. She didn’t even stop to worry if she was acting like a normal girl. All she focused on was the present with Liz.</p>
<p>
___</p><p>“What did you girls end up doing?” inquired Mrs. Larson when they got home.</p>
<p>
“We just walked around the mall.”</p>
<p>
Liz’s mom noticed their bags as she asked, “What did you get?”</p>
<p>
Liz let out a tired sigh as she dropped the bags onto the coffee table. “I only got a top.” She pulled it out of the bag. As she did the bag fell over as a velvet box tumbled out.</p>
<p>
“What’s this?” the older woman picked it up as Liz gave it a confused look, her eyes widening along with her mother’s when she opened the box.</p>
<p>
“These,” she looked at her daughter then back at the contents of the box, “these look just like your grandmother’s earrings,” turning to Megan she explained, “I had a pair of earrings like this. They were my mother’s. She gave them to me and I was going to give them to Liz when she got older.”</p>
<p>
Megan frowned, “Mr. Larson sure was a piece of shit.”</p>
<p>
Liz’s eyes widened as Parker gasped. Seeing their reaction she realized she’d done the wrong thing as she quietly apologized.</p>
<p>
Mrs. Larson started to laugh, “No, you’re not wrong,” turning to her daughter she hugged her, “Oh, honey. Thank you. This is so special.”</p>
<p>
“But I--,” Liz’s eyes shifted to Megan as she signaled for her to be quiet.</p>
<p>
Not all family’s secrets had to be bad.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Megan makes another "mistake" in class</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Two roads diverged in a yellow road,” read the English teacher, “And sorry I could not travel both…”</p>
<p>
Megan felt her mind wander as she thought back to the previous day’s events.</p>
<p>
If she had been a normal girl she would have tried out for the mascot tryouts. She would have done everything she could to get closer to Cash. Instead she had chosen to get close to Liz.</p>
<p>
More like been allowed.</p>
<p>
That morning she expected everything to be sunshine and rainbows, but Liz was back to her tepid treatment as she completely ignored Megan’s cheery greeting in the school hall.</p>
<p>
“Megan,” the teacher’s voice interrupted her thoughts, “care to join us?”</p>
<p>
Everyone looked at her as she heard Liz let out a tired snort.</p>
<p>
‘Two paths in the woods,” that was the last thing she could recall.</p>
<p>
In other classes the teacher had asked students what the message meant. If that was the case now then perhaps, “Probably an ambush. I’d wait until nightfall when they’re asleep and vulnerable. Then advance inside a tree line,” she could hear Liz let out a groan across the room. She continued on, less sure about her answer, “maybe rig a tripwire in case he’s trying to double back.”</p>
<p>
“Okay,” the teacher’s response came out slow, like he was unsure what to do with her answer. Around her the other kids looked away like they were suddenly scared of what she might do to them.</p>
<p>
Normal.</p>
<p>
That was not a normal answer.</p>
<p>
She realized this as the teacher warned Liz, “I’d be locking my door tonight if I were you.”</p>
<p>
“Already do.”</p>
<p>
Behind Megan, a random girl told her, “Sweet answer, weirdo.”</p>
<p>
The term didn’t hurt her as much as when Liz said it.</p>
<p>
“Anyone else?” inquired the teacher.</p>
<p>
“Whatever that was,” stated Gooch, “minus the serial killer part.”</p>
<p>
The kids around laughed at her expense.</p>
<p>
Always at her expense.</p>
<p>
Just when she thought she was starting to find her footing she had to go and mess everything up.</p>
<p>
As the class continued on around her she dropped her head onto her arms as she let out a low groan.</p>
<p>
Why was being normal so hard for her?</p>
<p>
____</p><p>After class she heard someone calling her name.</p>
<p>
She tried to ignore them, but the person drew closer, sounding more insistent.</p>
<p>
Looking back she watched Roger jogging after her.</p>
<p>
“Hey, you alright?” he slowed to a stop in front of her, “that was a pretty decent strategy you had there. You see it in one of your teen dramas?”</p>
<p>
She laughed. Tried to laugh. It came out forced, “Not really.”</p>
<p>
He looked at the ground, scuffing the tip of his sneaker against the ground.</p>
<p>
“I’m sorry. You must think I’m a freak.”</p>
<p>
Liz sure did.</p>
<p>
Probably Cash too.</p>
<p>
Why couldn’t she do anything right?</p>
<p>
She left before Roger could reply.</p>
<p>
At her locker she let her head fall forward, hitting her forehead against the hard metal.</p>
<p>
“You hoping to knock all the weird out.”</p>
<p>
Liz.</p>
<p>
For someone who wanted nothing to do with her, she sure had a habit of coming around when Megan needed someone.</p>
<p>
“You should stay away from me. I’m bad news.”</p>
<p>
“True. But you’re my bad news.”</p>
<p>
She felt her heart flutter at the words as she looked at the girl expectantly.</p>
<p>
Liz put up her hands, “I mean, I’m not personally claiming you, but Mom and Parker adore you. And at times,” she frowned as if trying to think of an exact moment, “you’re not that terrible to hang around. But don’t try and quote me on that, I will deny it.”</p>
<p>
Megan laughed. This one felt less forced.</p>
<p>
“I have enjoyed having you as my host sister.”</p>
<p>
Liz’s lip curled at her words, “That makes it sound like you are some kind of parasite. Which, I guess, is kind of true.”</p>
<p>
A brighter smile, “Ouch, Tell me how you really feel.”</p>
<p>
Liz returned her smile, “Don’t worry. I always will.”</p>
<p>
Something seemed to pass between them, then it was gone as Liz dropped her eyes to the ground.</p>
<p>
An ache formed in her throat as she choked out the words, “Do you really keep your door locked at night?”</p>
<p>
“Uh, yeah,” seeing the hurt in Megan’s eyes, she added, “But not because of you.” She was playing with a strand of her hair, twirling it around her finger, “I did it long before you came to live with us. Parker has a habit of barging into my room.”</p>
<p>
“Having a sibling like that must be tiresome.”</p>
<p>
Liz chuckled softly, “You have no idea.”</p>
<p>
“No. I don’t.”</p>
<p>
The other girl’s expression softened at the broken tone in Megan’s voice.</p>
<p>
“Hey, if you want a little brother you can have him. I wouldn’t miss him.”</p>
<p>
“That’s not true.”</p>
<p>
Liz smiled, looking pleased that Megan knew her so well, “You’re right. He’s a pain, but he’s my pain.”</p>
<p>
“You’re lucky, you know that. To actually have a mom who cares enough to fight with you. A little brother who wants to spend time with you.”</p>
<p>
“I guess being an only child isn’t all its chalked up to be. All those movies glamorized it so much, us multi-child homes started to believe it was an ideal living situation.”</p>
<p>
She let out a light laugh, “And here you are always getting onto me about mistaking fiction for reality. You should know they paint things in an unrealistic light.”</p>
<p>
A playful roll of the eyes from Liz, “Glad you are finally realizing that.”</p>
<p>
Things went silent as they smiled at each other for another moment, Megan losing herself in the green of Liz’s eyes.</p>
<p>
This time she was the one to break the connection as she inquired, “Are we friends now? Because according to the movies I’ve seen--.”</p>
<p>
Liz let out a tired groan as she turned to head away, “You are hopeless.”</p>
<p>
Megan hurried after, “No, seriously. Are we friends or not? Liz. Liz?”</p>
<p>
___</p><p>Even with Liz’s pep talk, her spirits dropped again when kids in the halls quoted her words from English class back at her. By the end of the day she was back to feeling like an outcast.</p>
<p>
“How are things going at school?” inquired Mrs. Larson that night when she came to drop off some towels.</p>
<p>
Just hearing the question broke the dam as Megan fell back on her bed.</p>
<p>
‘It’s like I’m suffocating. Simulated drowning. That I can deal with. But this…this is worse somehow. I can’t—I can’t do it,” she sat forward, resting her head in her hands, “I can’t take another second of it. It’s just—it’s…”</p>
<p>
Mrs. Larson sat beside her, letting out a sympathetic sigh as she rested her hand on the girl’s shoulder, “It’s high school. That’s all it is,” seeing Megan was still panicking she moved her hand down to her back as she started to rub her hand in a circular pattern, “You know, some thrive and it’s the best years of their lives. Others…others spend four years being mocked for wearing a large black ribbon like Madonna in the Lucky Star video.”</p>
<p>
“What?”</p>
<p>
“Oh, Google it. But we suffer through it, not because we’re being strong, or true to our style, but because taking off the ribbon would mean revealing to those bastards the tiny bald spot we were hiding in the first place,” Megan’s eyebrow lifted as the woman quickly added, “Hypothetically. What you’re feeling is normal.”</p>
<p>
Her heart relaxed at the words.</p>
<p>
Normal.</p>
<p>
This was normal.</p>
<p>
It was terrible, but at least it was normal.</p>
<p>
“High school is a conflicting time. Okay?” as Megan felt her lip quiver, Mrs. Larson opened her arms as she said, “Bring it in. Give me a hug.”</p>
<p>
As they did, she shifted her gaze up to the back of the woman’s head.</p>
<p>
“Stop,” ordered the woman, “I had that taken care of years ago.”</p>
<p>
___</p><p>At lunch the next day, Megan heard someone calling her name. She was sure she had misheard until she turned back to find Cash waving at her. Pointing at herself to make sure it was her he wanted, she watched him nod as he motioned wider for her to come over.</p>
<p>
“Sit with us.” Was the obvious intent behind his wave.</p>
<p>
As she came over he smiled at her, taking a moment to notice her food as he said, “Ah, you picked the spicy noodles.”</p>
<p>
She nodded, unsure of what one was supposed to say in this situation. What one was supposed to do.</p>
<p>
“That’s brave of you,” continued Cash with a playful smile, “I hear they over spice them.”</p>
<p>
“I’ve had spicy stuff before.”</p>
<p>
She wanted to bite off her tongue for coming up with such a lame response.</p>
<p>
Instead of ridiculing her, Cash laughed.</p>
<p>
She bit into her lunch before she could say anything else to make her regret having a mouth.</p>
<p>
The noodles were spicy. Not the most spicy thing she’d ever had, but spicy enough to make her nose run. She grabbed a napkin, dabbing at her nostrils before anything could leak out.</p>
<p>
Across from her, Cash talked to the guy beside him about his latest concert. She was glad he wasn’t looking at her. She couldn’t bear the thought of him watching her dab at her nose with every bite.</p>
<p>
She never should have sat down with him. She couldn’t even enjoy her meal as every bite filled her with more and more embarrassment.</p>
<p>
It was all she could think about as Cash turned to ask her a question. She didn’t completely hear it and had to ask him to repeat it.</p>
<p>
In the movies, embarrassing scenes like these became fun anecdotes for later, but in the moment she didn’t know how she was supposed to live it down.</p>
<p>
Was dating always like this? Always uncomfortable as your worried over every word that came out of your mouth. Over every action you made.</p>
<p>
‘So, Megan, we’re having a jam session this weekend. Why don’t you stop by?”</p>
<p>
This was her chance.</p>
<p>
Her breathe quivered in her chest as she replied, “That would be great. Uh,” she tried to recall the term he had used.</p>
<p>
Coin.</p>
<p>
Something about a coin.</p>
<p>
Yes, that was it.</p>
<p>
“Nickel.”</p>
<p>
“Awesome. Catch you then.”</p>
<p>
She smiled as he got up to dump his trey.</p>
<p>
Her heart should be soaring high. Instead, she felt like she was sinking.</p>
<p>
Why did it have to be this hard?</p>
<p>
____</p><p>At dinner that night, Megan again found herself eating spicy food.</p>
<p>
“Mm, yum,” went Parker as he loaded his plate high.</p>
<p>
‘Save some for the rest of us,” ordered his mother with a laugh.</p>
<p>
The food wasn’t as spicy as the food at school, but she still found herself dabbing at her nose. She didn’t notice having to do it as much as her attention was focused on listening to Parker relay the story of his day.</p>
<p>
“And then Mikey Leonard did a handstand. Or, tried to do one. He ended up falling flat on his face,” Parker laughed at the memory.</p>
<p>
Megan noticed Liz smile at her brother’s exuberance. It was a soft expression. Not as bright as the look she had worn the first time Megan had seen her, but more contained. A quiet joy.</p>
<p>
As soon as Liz noticed her watching she put back on her lemon sour expression as she took a big bite of her food. She got some on her chin, but didn’t seem to notice as she asked her brother a follow up question.</p>
<p>
When her mother told her about the food on her chin, she didn’t seem embarrassed as she wiped it off her chin and went back to talking.</p>
<p>
‘Here, if it’s too hot for you, try some lime,” stated Mrs. Larson as she held out a plate of the fruit to Megan.</p>
<p>
She smiled gratefully as she took two, squeezing them onto her noodles before continuing to eat. It did take away some of the spice as she found herself not having to dab at her nose at all after that.</p>
<p>
Liz was laughing now as her brother made silly faces with his food hanging out of his mouth.</p>
<p>
Among one’s family a person didn’t have to be self-conscious about their actions. You just had a good time with the person and didn’t take the time to consider how ridiculous you might look.</p>
<p>
It was probably because one felt no need to impress the other people. They already cared about you.</p>
<p>
But how did one get to that point where they felt comfortable with other people.</p>
<p>
“Megan,” Liz pointed at her own chin to signal to her she was the one with food on her face now.</p>
<p>
As Megan wiped it away, she started to laugh. Parker joined her as Liz rolled her eyes. “You are so weird.”</p>
<p>
She was. But with them she didn’t care.</p>
<p>
___</p><p>After dinner she helped Mrs. Larson clean up the dishes.</p>
<p>
From all the movies she’d watched she knew this was the perfect time to get motherly advice.</p>
<p>
First she told the woman about Cash before saying, “He is a nice guy and fun to hang out with. But should I pursue him?”</p>
<p>
The woman looked thoughtful as she put a freshly cleaned plate into the drainer, “It seems to me that more than looking for the right person you are looking for a place where you feel wanted and welcome.”</p>
<p>
She thought back to Prescott and how she’d felt there. “Yeah. That sounds right.”</p>
<p>
“You know, you don’t have to live your life looking for one person.”</p>
<p>
Her mouth scrunched in a confused frown, “You mean like polygamy?”</p>
<p>
The woman laughed, “No, I mean like friends and family. Or in your case, a found family. We all have the same basic desires, no matter who we are, to feel loved and accepted for who we are.”</p>
<p>
The woman gave her a soft smile that made her insides warm. If this was what it was like to have a mother she had really been missing out.</p>
<p>
Mrs. Larson was right. She wanted to find acceptance for who she was. Now she just needed to figure out how to get it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Megan meets with Cash at the studio</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>On the weekend she headed to Cash’s recording studio.</p><p>
The space was open with a small stage where the instruments had been set up. On the other side of the room was the recording equipment.</p><p>
As she looked it over a hand touched her shoulder.</p><p>
Her first thought was “They found me!”</p><p>
As she grabbed the hand, flipping its owner over her shoulder as she pinned them to the ground. That’s when she saw it was Roger.</p><p>
“Oh, sorry,” she got off him, “You shouldn’t sneak up on people.”</p><p>
Roger let out a grunt in agreement as he sat up, “Yep, totally my mistake.”</p><p>
She helped him up. Unlike X, he took her hand as she pulled him to his feet.</p><p>
Back on his feet he motioned to the room as he said, “Welcome.”</p><p>
“Thanks. This place is really cool.”</p><p>
Cash had not yet arrived as she took a seat while Roger got to work setting up the equipment. He had brought food which he shared with her after she found him some ice to put on his neck.</p><p>
Letting out a satisfied smile, he thanked her, “You know, I’m not as fragile as my easy takedown would suggest.”</p><p>
“No?”</p><p>
“You caught me off guard.”</p><p>
She smiled, “Right.”</p><p>
“Usually I can defend myself.”</p><p>
“I did notice that inner buffness,” he gave her a look as she insisted, “I did.”</p><p>
They both laughed as he let out a halfhearted, “Oh, thanks.”</p><p>
As he rubbed his neck he asked, “Where did you learn those moves? Are your parents in the military or something?” He backtracked when he saw her smile fade, “Oh, sorry. Are parents a bad topic?”</p><p>
Her eyes dropped to her hands as she squeezed them in her lap, “They both died when I was really young. I was raised by a foster family.”</p><p>
He looked as uncomfortable as Mrs. Larson had as he apologized, “I had no idea.”</p><p>
Roger was a great guy. The kind of guy that girls in movies realized ten minutes before the ending were the one they were actually supposed to end up with.</p><p>
“No. It’s fine.”</p><p>
He shook his head, “I’m stupid.”</p><p>
“How could you have known?”</p><p>
“Well, I’m sorry.”</p><p>
“Just don’t let it happen again, or you might need more icepacks.”</p><p>
His expression relaxed as he looked intrigued by the threat, “Oh, yeah, Lara Croft. You know what, I want a rematch.”</p><p>
“Do you?”</p><p>
“Yeah, put ‘em up.” He rose as he lifted his fists.</p><p>
Laughing, she rose as well as she said, “All right.”</p><p>
As she lifted her fists he flattened his hands to act as targets for her hits.</p><p>
‘Are you sure?”</p><p>
He nodded in confirmation. As she hit his palm he let out a sharp, “Ow, that stings.”</p><p>
She took a hold of his hand to make sure she hadn’t really injured it as together they laughed.</p><p>
This was when she was supposed to feel a spark. When she was supposed to notice how perfectly their hands fit together. But she didn’t notice any of that as he told her, “Get the ice. I need the ice.”</p><p>
The door opened as Cash came into the room as he called out, “Rogerito, are we set up?”</p><p>
Roger moved back from Megan, sounding disappointed as he said, “Uh, yeah. Just give me a second.”</p><p>
As Roger got to work, Cash leaned down beside Megan, giving her that devilish smile as he said, “Hey.”</p><p>
“Hi.”</p><p>
“I’m glad you could make it.”</p><p>
This was the alternate point in the story when her heart was supposed to flutter at their close proximity. Where she was supposed to forget how to speak. But nothing moved within her chest as she made herself put a smile on her face, “Me too.”</p><p>
“Do you think you could do me a favor?”</p><p>
“I could try.”</p><p>
‘Yeah? Come on.”</p><p>
He motioned with his head for her to follow him.</p><p>
Looking back at Roger to make sure it was okay, he nodded and motioned for her to go on.</p><p>
Cash took a seat at the piano as she came over.</p><p>
“So, I’m working on this new song, but I’m just inside of it. I could use an honest opinion, if you don’t mind.”</p><p>
He was going to share his song with her. Sing to her.</p><p>
She should have been excited. She should have been squealing internally, unable to keep her excitement from bubbling to the surface.</p><p>
That’s what a normal girl would do.</p><p>
She forced a smile as she half listened to him talk.</p><p>
Soft piano music started as he advised her, “It’s still pretty rough so be gentle.”</p><p>
She nodded, taking a sip of the soda Cash had brought with him. Her eyes drifted to the side as found herself wondering what Liz and Parker were up to at that very moment. Was Parker begging Liz to play with him? Had he persuaded her?</p><p>
She wished she were with them, enjoying the evening together.</p><p>
Even as Cash started to sing, his dulcet tones filling the air, she felt nothing. She forced another smile, soft as she listened to him sing about “the smell of our scent” the words reminding her of flowers. The smell of Liz’s perfume which filled her lungs every day in science class. Not just in science class. Every now and then she would catch glimpses of it as she walked around the house, walking through areas that Liz had just occupied moments ago. Like the couch. Or the bathroom. Trace images of the girl left behind for her alone to find.</p><p>
She blinked as a drum solo brought her back to reality.</p><p>
Why was she thinking about Liz when Cash was right here?</p><p>
Taking a deep breath, she ordered herself to get her priorities straight.</p><p>
To stop being so weird.</p><p>
To be…normal.</p><p>
____</p><p>Everyone else had left as her and Cash sat together on the couch.</p><p>
He was playing some kind of war game. For him it was fun, but war was not a game to her. She did not comment on this as she merely watched him move his character down a war torn street.</p><p>
“Did you want a go?”</p><p>
He offered her the controller as she gave him a no thanks gesture, “I’m good. I prefer watching.”</p><p>
He chuckled and she felt like she’d said the wrong thing. But not because she was nervous. Not in the way she should be nervous.</p><p>
She didn’t know how to react around hmi, not because her heart was pounding or her palms were sweating…things just felt off. Like she was trying to connect with a wall socket and had the wrong adaptor.</p><p>
As his character moved into a room, he passed by a guard who did not notice him at all.</p><p>
‘You know that guard totally would have seen you.”</p><p>
“No. I was in stealth mode.”</p><p>
She snorted, “Stealth mode? A compound like this would have counter intel out its ears. Motion sensors. Hyper spectral imaging. There’s no way you could just tiptoe down the hall. A high value target is never going to be vulnerable to a face to face takedown.”</p><p>
He shifted in his seat, turning so they were facing one another. She felt her face heat as she realized that yet again she was saying the wrong thing.</p><p>
Parker loved it when she talked like this. He said it made him “feel safe” when he had his zombie nightmares. Or added more “realism” to their Avenger games.</p><p>
But not everyone appreciated her “psychopathic tendencies.” Liz’s words.</p><p>
“He’s not?” asked Cash, bringing her focus back to the game.</p><p>
‘No. Look. You’ve got to engineer a passive campaign of mental anguish. Basically, alienating the target from those closest to him. He’ll withdraw, paranoia and suspicion growing, and eventually he’ll just kill himself.”</p><p>
Cash looked down, letting out a slow, “Um…so, basically like high school.”</p><p>
She considered his comparison for a moment before nodding, “Ya.”</p><p>
“I’m not sure they have a button for that.”</p><p>
She laughed, “Right, um, just choke him out with that lamp chord.”</p><p>
He did just that, calling out his catch phrase as he turned and thanked her. As he used the endearing pet name, “Babe” for her she felt herself cringe.</p><p>
As they high fived, he kept a hold of her hand as he looked deep into her eyes. This time she did feel her heart move, but less in a “I can’t believe this is happening” and more in a “why is this happening” way.</p><p>
Looking down, she let out a shy laugh due to the intensity of his gaze.</p><p>
“Uh, I should probably get going.”</p><p>
“Yeah, no doubt. But hey, listen before you bounce. Gooch’s parents are out of town so we are throwing down this Friday. You’ve got to be there.”</p><p>
This brought her back as she realized what that meant.</p><p>
‘Are you serious? A parents away in Europe party. Oh my God, this day cannot get any better.”</p><p>
He chuckled as he corrected, “Um, Pittsburgh, actually. But Gooch’s parties are legendary. You down?”</p><p>
“I’m down. Yeah, nickel.”</p><p>
“Totem pole.”</p><p>
Her smile faltered as she repeated his words. It felt so stupid to say, but nice to know that she was starting to have the normal high school experience.</p><p>
___</p><p>“Did you have fun?” inquired Mrs. Larson when Megan came home.</p><p>
“Of course she did. She was out with Cash,” stated Liz. The tone of her voice was mocking as she seemed to speak for Megan as she went, “Oh Cash. So handsome and cool.”</p><p>
She frowned, choosing to ignore the girl as she told her mother, “He actually invited me to a party this weekend.”</p><p>
Liz rolled her eyes. “Oh, god. You don’t actually want to go to that thing.”</p><p>
“I do.”</p><p>
Mrs. Larson shushed Liz’s retort with her eyes, before turning a smile on Megan, “You should go. And Liz will go with you.”</p><p>
‘But, Mom.”</p><p>
“No arguments. Family looks out for one another.”</p><p>
Megan felt her heart swell at the words. Did Mrs. Larson actually think of her as family?</p><p>
Liz let out a distraught groan as she rolled her eyes to the side, “Ugh. Fine. Whatever.”</p><p>
As Liz trudged away, Megan hurried after her, “Can you help me pick out an outfit for the party? I don’t want to look like a dork.”</p><p>
“Too late.”</p><p>
At Megan’s hurt look she puffed out her cheeks as she let out a long sigh, “Fine. Whatever.”</p><p>
She smiled as she bounced after her.</p><p>
She was going to a real honest to goodness high school party. She could just die.</p><p>
Hopefully she didn’t.</p><p>
___</p><p>“What about this?” inquired Megan as she held an outfit up to her body.</p><p>
‘No.”</p><p>
‘You didn’t even look at it.”</p><p>
Liz let out a tired sigh as she turned the page of the book she was reading. “I don’t have to. I know your taste in clothes and whatever you pick isn’t going to work.”</p><p>
Megan set the outfit aside, “Why are you so hard on me? What is it you don’t like about me?”</p><p>
“Everything?”</p><p>
Liz got up as she shuffled through the clothes in Megan’s closet.</p><p>
She had studied people for most of her life, but every moment she spent with Liz she always came away confused on what to make of the girl. The more time she spent with her the less she understood.</p><p>
Unless…</p><p>
‘You’re scared of me.”</p><p>
Liz turned, finally looking at her as she admitted, “Hell, yes, I am.”</p><p>
“Not just me. You fear the world. Every morning you dress yourself in a cloak of sarcasm, but stripped bare of this defense you’d be forced to forge true connections within your peer group. You’d have to allow people to see the true Liz Larson,” she frowned as she said, “but don’t do it through alcohol at some party in some douchebags bathtub. You don’t need alcohol to experience some “cathartic” moment. And you don’t need some dipshit to help you figure out who you are or what you want from life. Pull back the veil, Elizabeth. I won’t reject you.”</p><p>
Liz’s jaw flexed before she snapped back, “Wear whatever you want,” before leaving the room.</p><p>
Yet again Megan had failed to make a connection. Yet again she’d said the wrong thing.</p><p>
Was this what it was to be normal?</p><p>
____</p><p>Megan was still thinking about her conversation with Liz the next day at school.</p><p>
What could she have said to make things better between them?</p><p>
“Hey.”</p><p>
She looked up as Roger sat down in front of her at lunch.</p><p>
That day she had chosen to eat at the outdoor eating area. The fresh air did her good as she took a deep breath of the cool air to clear her mind.</p><p>
She returned Roger’s greeting as she asked, “Are you going to Gooch’s party?”</p><p>
His shoulders bobbed with a shrug, “I don’t know. My dad’s not big on parties.”</p><p>
“He doesn’t have to go,” this got a laugh from Roger as she inquired, “He the super protective type?”</p><p>
Roger bobbed his head to the side, “Hyper vigilant. Domineering. Intrusive.”</p><p>
She laughed. “I know the feeling. My foster parents could be pretty controlling.”</p><p>
“Oh yeah, did they ground you a lot?”</p><p>
“More like solitary confinement.”</p><p>
She recalled one time when she wasn’t “living up to the Prescott name” when Hardman had confined her to a cell for a week. She couldn’t recall what had been the reason for the incarceration; she had only been six at the time so it couldn’t have been anything that serious. All she recalled was how alone she had felt confined to her room. And yet it had felt better to her than being out on any mission. Because for that short amount of time she’d felt like a normal kid.</p><p>
Liz was right. She was weird.</p><p>
“Wow. Canada really does suck,” went Roger.</p><p>
“I was never really given a chance to figure out what I wanted. I practically had to fake my own death to get out of there.”</p><p>
“At least you stood up for yourself. That’s cool. Sometimes I wish I had a way out.” He let out a sad sigh as he rested his chin on his hand.</p><p>
She realized she wasn’t the only weird one as she looked at Roger like she couldn’t understand his feeling, “A way out of here?” she motioned to the outdoor eating area. Really motioning to the city around them, “why would you want to leave this place?”</p><p>
“I’m just ready for something new. But I guess that’s what college is for,” he let out a thoughtful sigh, “But I don’t know. Have you thought about what’s next for you?”</p><p>
Panic.</p><p>
That’s what she thought of when she considered her future. Considered what she might do once this time had passed.</p><p>
If Prescott found out she was alive she knew for sure she wouldn’t have anything to look forward.</p><p>
And college…she had never thought that far in her fantasies. They had all focused on high school. But after that…she wasn’t sure what she would do.</p><p>
“No.”</p><p>
“No?” he lifted his brow like he couldn’t believe her words.</p><p>
“No. I’ve been so focused on this year I haven’t thought about anything after.”</p><p>
“You should,” in a parental tone, Roger advised her, “You know, you got a whole life ahead of you.”</p><p>
She knew he was joking, but felt like a new weight had been placed on her shoulders. She poked at her salad, even less hungry than she’d been before.</p><p>
Seeing how depressed she’d become, Roger assured her, “It doesn’t really matter. You know, whatever you end up doing, I’m sure it’ll be impressive.”</p><p>
She smiled as she felt light return to her cloudy outlook, “You really think so?”</p><p>
“Yeah. I mean, I’ve never seen you do something that wasn’t impressive, so…” he smiled nervously.</p><p>
She smiled at her salad.</p><p>
‘Hey guys,” she turned as she heard a guitar strum. Cash was serenading some of his groupies as Gooch tried to invite them to his party. Past them she spotted Liz sitting alone, typing on her laptop.</p><p>
What did she write on that thing?</p><p>
Angry worded letters to politicians she thought were failing the world.</p><p>
Memoirs about the travails of being the teen of a broken home.</p><p>
When Cash had offered to play her his song she had felt nothing. But if Liz offered to read her whatever she wrote, Megan would eagerly accept.</p><p>
Turning her attention back to Roger, she told him, “That was a really nice thing to say. Thank you.”</p><p>
He nodded, now poking at his salad as if he’d lost his appetite, “Mm hmm.”</p><p>
“Listen, so, Gooch’s party.”</p><p>
“Can we talk about it later?”</p><p>
She frowned, wondering at his sudden loss of interest in their interaction, “No. No I want to talk about it now.”</p><p>
“No. You should go.” He looked off at the table behind them, “Seriously. It’s cool.”</p><p>
How did he know her better than herself? She didn’t even know what she wanted, but she could tell he was advising her to go out there and find out.</p><p>
Grabbing her trey, she told him, “You should really come to the party. It could be your way out.”</p><p>
He nodded like he still wasn’t sure, as he let out a simple, “We’ll see.”</p><p>
Walking among the tables of the outdoor eating area she smiled at Cash as he gave her a nod of greeting. She did not stop there, continuing forward as she set her trey down at the empty space in front of Liz.</p><p>
“What are you writing?”</p><p>
Liz frowned, “No one likes it when people do that. ‘What are you reading? What are you eating?’ Just use your eyes.”</p><p>
Megan’s smile cocked to the side, “You want me to read over your shoulder?”</p><p>
As she started around the table, Liz pulled the computer screen down, “Ya, no.”</p><p>
She moved back to her side of the table as she took a seat. “I know you don’t want to go to the party this weekend, but I’m glad you are coming.”</p><p>
Liz snorted, but didn’t look to completely hate hearing Megan’s words.</p><p>
“Did you want to wear matching outfits?”</p><p>
Liz picked up her laptop, letting out a, I can’t believe you just said that sigh as she got up.</p><p>
Megan grabbed her own things as she followed, “They don’t have to completely match. Have you ever seen the movie Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion?”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Megan and Liz attend a high school party</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Mom, you’re not actually letting her go to this party are you?”</p>
<p>
Megan heard the question come from Liz as she passed the kitchen.</p>
<p>
The woman turned, giving her daughter a tired frown as she said, “You’re overreacting.”</p>
<p>
“It’s because of parents like you that teens make bad decisions,” stated Liz, “When they are presented with a problem their hormones choose the wrong solution and you just step back and let them because “they should have some fun.” But do you even consider that this fun might permanently scar them and leave them dead or worse?”</p>
<p>
“I know having another girl in the house might be causing some jealousy issues, but this needs to stop.”</p>
<p>
Liz looked incredulous as she stepped back from her mother, “Jealousy? No, Mother, I’m not jealous. I’m worried. Worried for our safety and the dangerous things she might be bringing into our house. Have you even noticed the things Parker has been playing with lately? Those didn’t appear until she got here. And you are just going to let her do whatever she wants. Are you even a real parent? Why are you acting so chill about this, like it’s nothing? Like you don’t care what happens to us.”</p>
<p>
“I do care.”</p>
<p>
“You sure don’t act like it. I really don’t think this party will be a safe environment for her or for anyone else attending. Not if there are parents like you there, or in this case, no parents at all.”</p>
<p>
Mrs. Larson’s brow furrowed in confusion, “Why is that?”</p>
<p>
“Because Gooch is going to be there and he’s a pig. In business class he proposed a pirate themed restaurant where after dinner you had the option to plunder your waitress.”</p>
<p>
Instead of frowning, as Liz expected, her mother smiled as she said, “If you think it’s that dangerous, I’m glad you will be going with Megan. That way you can walk the plank together.”</p>
<p>
The woman looked amused at her joke as Liz gave her a horrified expression.</p>
<p>
“Who are you and what have you done with my responsible parent unit? Is this because of dad leaving? Without him around you can’t make a sound decision for our well-being. Is this like one of those lazy writer situations where you don’t want to have kids sneak out to a party because “that’s a bad example for the reader” so instead you portray the mother as some ‘fun cool mom’ who lets her kids do whatever because you don’t realize the mom in Mean Girls was supposed to be a satire on ‘fun parents.’”</p>
<p>
“You’re going,” stated her mother as if she hadn’t heard a word Liz had said.</p>
<p>
Liz made an explosion with her fingers as she let out an exasperated, “Oh. My. God.” Before storming out of the room.</p>
<p>
“Yeah. And have some fun.”</p>
<p>
A buzzing sound came from the floor as Parker played with a Taser.</p>
<p>
‘Where did you get this thing?” the mother took the object from the boy as Megan turned away, quickly leaving the scene of the crime before she was blamed.</p>
<p>
___</p><p>On her way back to her room she passed Liz’s room. Her door was open as Megan looked in to find her scowling at the wall. It seemed like she was trying to burn a hole in the plaster. Megan half expected her to succeed with how amazing she had proven herself to be up till then.</p>
<p>
Her expression made Megan hesitate in approaching, but she had approached Agent X under worse circumstances.</p>
<p>
Knocking on the doorpost, she waited a moment before stepping into the room.</p>
<p>
“Did you want to lend me something of yours?”</p>
<p>
It was something she’d seen best friends in movies do. It was like a sign to the viewer that the two were really good friends.</p>
<p>
Liz turned away from glaring at the wall as she turned to pick up a book off her nightstand, “Yeah, not going to do that.”</p>
<p>
Megan tried to hide her disappointment, but Liz noticed as she let out a heavy sigh before pushing off her bed. Walking over to her closet, she shuffled through her clothes for a moment before pulling something out.</p>
<p>
‘Here. This one isn’t that bad.”</p>
<p>
Megan smiled as she took it, setting it down on the bed before she started to undress.</p>
<p>
‘What are you doing?”</p>
<p>
She stopped at the sharp snap in Liz’s voice.</p>
<p>
“What?”</p>
<p>
“Go do that in your own room.”</p>
<p>
Megan wasn’t sure why she was reacting this way. In gym class they changed in front of each other. At the academy she had never had any privacy with five other girls sharing a room. If she waited until they left to change she never would have worn new clothes.</p>
<p>
But Liz was adamant, as she picked up the outfit, taking it with her as she thanked the girl.</p>
<p>
___</p><p>On their way into the party, Liz gave her a quick once over before begrudgingly admitting, “You look cute.”</p>
<p>
Her face felt hot from the compliment as she admitted, “It’s only because you picked me a good one.”</p>
<p>
A Liz eye roll, “Whatever.”</p>
<p>
Inside, the party didn’t look exactly how the parties in movies looked. No one was hanging from the chandelier. No one was dressed in a toga, except Gooch.</p>
<p>
He called out from the top of the stairs, dressed in some kind of toga-kilt combination thing with half his face painted blue like he thought he was an extra in Braveheart. He even let out the famous “Freedom!” cry before lifting the front of his kilt, exposing the underwear he had on underneath. Someone above him handed him a drink to him. He chugged it in one before tumbling forward as he rolled down the stairs, landing in a pile at Megan and Liz’s feet.</p>
<p>
Liz lifted her eyes from the mess, looking up at the ceiling as if asking it to save her.</p>
<p>
There were some things from the movies. The house was filled with a crowd of people, their voices inaudible with the loud bass playing over the scene. But conversations weren’t really the reason for coming to a party like this. They had come to drink and pretend like this was the best time of their lives. Like this was the epitome of what it meant to be a teen.</p>
<p>
Megan played along with the sentiment as she mused aloud, “This is awesome.”</p>
<p>
Liz didn’t look to agree as she let out a tired, “I’m going to find something to drink.” She made sure to step her Keds across Gooch’s back as she headed off.</p>
<p>
Gooch rolled over before jumping to his feet, “I’m okay.”</p>
<p>
Megan doubted that. Physically, maybe. But definitely not mentally.</p>
<p>
She decided to find her own place at the party as she headed off to find Cash. That was who she had come for after all. The one who had invited her. The one she was supposed to pursue.</p>
<p>
Through a sea of people she spotted him. He noticed her as well as he gave her a smile.</p>
<p>
“Just in time, Megan. We’re about to play a game.”</p>
<p>
It was a game she had seen in one of her movies. You got in a circle, one person held a playing card to their lips, holding it there by inhaling as they tried to pass it to the person beside them. You kept going down the line till someone wasn’t able to keep the card up and the two people who had failed were supposed to make out.</p>
<p>
Megan felt her heart pound as the card moved closer to her spot. Cash was right next to her. That meant if she couldn’t keep the card held up she would end up having to kiss him.</p>
<p>
That actually happened as she felt her lips press against his as the card dropped away. Like when she’d touched his hand she felt nothing.</p>
<p>
She stepped back from him as she let out a quick, “Sorry, I don’t—this isn’t what I want.”</p>
<p>
His eyebrow arched as he said, “It’s just a game.”</p>
<p>
“Yeah, well, just in case. I don’t like you that way.”</p>
<p>
He looked confused, turning his gaze away from her. She followed his eyes as she spotted Roger watching the pair. He frowned, turning away as he disappeared into the crowd of people.</p>
<p>
‘I get it,” She looked back at Cash as he added, “You like someone else. It’s cool. I get it. Roger is a great guy. He would be lucky to have someone like you.”</p>
<p>
She started to argue, then realized maybe this was how her teen drama was supposed to go. She was the girl who ended up with her best friend, not the most popular guy in school. She did know how to talk to Roger better than Cash. She did feel more comfortable with him. He actually made her laugh and smile and she had fun hanging out with him. It was Win a Date with Tad Hamilton, not She’s All That. She was supposed to end up with the guy who understood her better than the popular guy ever could, because in truth, the popular guy usually only understood things about himself.</p>
<p>
Realizing this was her normal, she hurried to catch up with Roger. Before she could find him she spotted Liz at the top of the stairs. Upstairs, in the movies, was where the girls went to meet up with guys. Or got taken advantage by them.</p>
<p>
Recalling Mrs. Larson’s admonition to take care of each other, she took the steps two at a time as she hurried after her.</p>
<p>
Liz stayed ahead of her as she headed into one of the rooms of the home. As Megan moved closer she watched Liz pause as she let out a quick, “I’m sorry.”</p>
<p>
As she started to turn away the person called to her, “Don’t worry about it. I’m decent.”</p>
<p>
“No. It’s fine. I think I’ll just--.”</p>
<p>
She was almost completely turned away when the voice called out again, “Stay with me, Liz Larson. Talk. Please.”</p>
<p>
Liz stopped as Megan paused, moving slower as she edged closer to the room.</p>
<p>
‘You know my name?”</p>
<p>
“Why wouldn’t I? Want to know my name?”</p>
<p>
Megan moved closer so she was at an angle so she could see into the bathroom. The person inside was Gooch. He was lying in his bathtub, still dressed in his kilt.</p>
<p>
Liz’s tone was sharp as she told the man, “You think because you know my name that makes things between us special? Like, oh my god, he knows my name. I am the luckiest girl in the world to have someone who likes donkey kong and donkey punches notices me. My life is complete now that I have some male showing me attention.”</p>
<p>
Gooch lifted his hand, Megan smiling to herself as she noticed he still had the splint on the finger she had hurt, “Hey, calm down. I’m not really that guy. You know I--.”</p>
<p>
“No,” Liz’s nostrils flared as she took a step into the room, looking ready for a fight a she told the teen male, “You don’t get to pull the “I’m actually a nice guy” card. Or the “I’m just misunderstood.” A nice guy doesn’t even think about doing the things you’ve done.”</p>
<p>
Gooch started to open his mouth but Liz spoke over him, “And don’t make the excuse that you’re just “trying to fit in. How is compromising yourself an excuse to compromise others? It doesn’t. So just—no.”</p>
<p>
She started to go again, but stopped as she turned back again, “And don’t give me some bullshit story about how your dad doesn’t understand you and how it makes you act out in ways that go against your actual moral fiber. There are plenty of people in that same situation who choose not to act like a self-absorbed tool to deal with their problems. Of course, that would just turn out to be an act, a joke, because that’s what’s safe for you. That’s what you know. But I’m not going to be impressed with your acting skills.”</p>
<p>
Her voice took on a disgusted tone as she asked herself, “How is something like that even considered charming? You opening up to me with a lie. Oh yeah, so fun. Even though I totally know it’s a lie, it somehow endears us to each other,” she snorted to emphasize how ridiculous she found it.</p>
<p>
“Okay, well,” Gooch looked overwhelmed by everything she’d said as he held up a flask, ‘I have tequila. Join me?”</p>
<p>
Megan saw Liz’s nose wrinkle as she stepped back from him. Then she paused again as Megan heard her mumble under her breath, “Pull back the veil.”</p>
<p>
Megan started to move towards her as Liz stepped into the room.</p>
<p>
This wasn’t the kind of veil she had meant for her friend to pull away.</p>
<p>
But Liz didn’t join Gooch, instead she grabbed the curtain of the tub, pulling it down on him before stepping away again.</p>
<p>
“I’m not going to be the girl who makes you want to be a better person, like some perv’s fantasy girl. If you want to be a better person, be a better person. Don’t put that burden on me or someone else to make you want to change. Get better for yourself. Or just be a better person from the start and then maybe we could talk. But I wouldn’t share a flask with you even if it was the only tequila left in the world. I would be a pretty lame character to get drunk and fall for a person like you.”</p>
<p>
With that she finally left the bathroom, pausing when she found Megan waiting outside.</p>
<p>
‘Hey.”</p>
<p>
Megan’s mouth twitched with a smile, “Hey.”</p>
<p>
Liz’s smile sparkled, reaching her eyes as they shone like two emeralds.</p>
<p>
‘Did you--?”</p>
<p>
A movement behind the girl caught Megan’s attention as she felt the world around her go silent. Her heart shook in her chest as it felt like the walls were closing in around her.</p>
<p>
She was back in Corsica with a gun pointed at her. The one holding the gun being there now, standing in the hallway past Liz.</p>
<p>
As if sensing her eyes on her, Agent X turned to face her, smiling that cold smile she often wore. The one that reminded Megan that she was nothing more than prey to the other agent.</p>
<p>
‘Sorry, I need to,” she didn’t finish her excuse as she hurried past Liz after X.</p>
<p>
She caught up to her in another bathroom as she confronted her, “Is this the part where we are supposed to dis each other’s bodies like men do every day, as if we don’t hear it enough from them and need to continue the body shaming among ourselves?”</p>
<p> 
Agent X snorted. “If that’s what you want.”</p>
<p>
“No. I want to know how you found me.”</p>
<p>
Agent X chuckled darkly, “You really thought you could get away from us? We tracked you through your secret bank account.”</p>
<p>
For years Megan had been setting aside cash to buy various things that helped her feel better. To feel normal. Things like magazines, movies, and hair accessories. It had been with those funds she’d purchased her new outfits and the earrings for Mrs. Larson.</p>
<p>
“It set off an alert,” continued X, “Hardman sent me here to see if it was you. If you were still alive.”</p>
<p>
“That was a secret fund.”</p>
<p>
X scoffed, “Nothing is secret from Prescott,” her gaze went past Megan, like she was looking through her to the party below, “Is it everything you thought it would be?”</p>
<p>
She wasn’t sure how to answer that question. It was something, but not what she had thought it would be. Some things weren’t as good as she had imagined, like kissing Cash. Some were more enjoyable than she had expected, like spending time with Parker and Liz.</p>
<p>
‘Are you here to take me back?”</p>
<p>
X snorted as she folded her arms, leaning back against the sink, “What benefit would that be for me? With you gone, Hardman is finally paying me attention.”</p>
<p>
She smiled, genuinely happy for the girl as she said, “That’s good. I’m glad.”</p>
<p>
X didn’t look as happy as she snapped, “Don’t pity me.”</p>
<p>
“I’m not. I just—I’m glad you are finally getting the recognition you deserve. It’s what you‘ve always wanted. Is it everything you imagined?”</p>
<p>
X ignored the question as she said, “You’ve always wanted friends and family. You enjoying that?” There was a dark tone to the question.</p>
<p>
Megan picked up on it as she warned her, “Leave them out of this.”</p>
<p>
Agent X let out a single laugh, “You really think you can keep them safe from Prescott once they find out you’re still alive.”</p>
<p>
“I don’t care if you turn me in. Just leave them out of this.”</p>
<p>
“If that’s how you feel, you better start keeping a better eye on them.”</p>
<p>
Megan’s heart felt like it had been put in a vice as X started to laugh. A chill went through her body as she rushed out of the room, hurrying down the hall and over to the balcony as she looked over the railing. Her eyes searched for the platinum blonde hair of Liz. There, in the corner of the room, sitting in a chair, looking bored or…</p>
<p>
She leapt over the balcony, not risking another second in case X had already done something to her.</p>
<p>
Liz looked up when she stopped in front of her, her eyebrows arching in a curious look as she noticed Megan breathing heavily.</p>
<p>
“You ready to go?”</p>
<p>
She sounded fine. Even looked okay as Megan looked back to find X watching her with a curious smile.</p>
<p>
“Guess I know now which one is most important to you.”</p>
<p>
The girl gave her another sinister grin before turning away from the banister as she headed off down the hall.</p>
<p>
“Megan, where are you going?”</p>
<p>
She stopped to look back at Liz before pointing up at the place the red head had once occupied, “X.”</p>
<p>
‘Ex? Your ex is here?”</p>
<p>
Megan frowned as she tried to find X.</p>
<p>
What was she up to?</p>
<p>
“If you see her, I need to you to tell me right away.”</p>
<p>
‘She? Your ex is a girl?” Liz bit her lip looking as if this news had changed something for her.</p>
<p>
But Megan was too distracted to think what it could be as she told her, “Just, if you do see her, run the other way. She’s dangerous.”</p>
<p>
Liz frowned, “I knew you were trouble.”</p>
<p>
Her heart sank as she watched Liz walk away while she mumbled to herself, “I need another drink.”</p>
<p>
From out of the crowd a hand offered her a Solo cup, “Here.”</p>
<p>
It was only as Liz threw back the drink that Megan realized the hand was attached to X.</p>
<p>
“What is wrong with you?” inquired Liz as Megan rushed over, grabbing a hold of her shoulders as she made her look into her eyes.</p>
<p>
‘What did you give her?” she threw the question to her side, but X was already gone.</p>
<p>
“Get off me,” Liz pushed her away, her words already slurring as she stumbled away from Megan.</p>
<p>
“Megan, “We’re going out to get waffles. You coming?”</p>
<p>
The question came from Cash, who had X standing beside him with a self-satisfied smile.</p>
<p>
“I should get her to bed,” she motioned to Liz who could barely stand as she flopped down on the couch in front of Megan.</p>
<p>
Cash didn’t even look at Liz as he assured Megan, “I think she’s already found one.”</p>
<p>
Like it didn’t matter to him. Like her friend’s well-being and safety didn’t concern him. Like he wasn’t even considering the danger she might find herself in, left alone in a stranger’s home where anything could happen. Especially with all the drunk people, their inhibitions and basic humanity drowned by plastic cups of alcohol.</p>
<p>
But then, why would he worry about that? He was a guy. He had never walked down a street at night, clutching his bag to his chest, hoping that the movement in the shadow was nothing more than a trick of the light.</p>
<p>
He was probably one of those guys who drew penises on passed out faces, thinking it was funny and not a violation of their body. As much an invasion as touching them inappropriately. Seeing the unconscious body as public property he could do whatever he pleased with. Taking advantage of the situation to put his penis wherever he wanted, drawing or otherwise.</p>
<p>
‘Ugh, come on Cash,” went X as she took a hold of his arm, pulling him close as she inquired, “Do you want to hang out or bang out?”</p>
<p>
This was the time where she could make sure her friend was okay with a pillow behind her head and the assurance that she was going to bring her back some food. Then she’d completely forget about her as she tried to follow the guy in order to keep X from stealing him. But people weren’t property and you couldn’t steal something when it was never yours.</p>
<p>
Cash wasn’t hers and, she realized, she was okay with that.</p>
<p>
Grabbing Liz’s arm, Megan lifted her up as she propped her against her shoulder.</p>
<p>
“I’m good. Go on without me.”</p>
<p>
X frowned as if she had expected a different turn of events. Her eyes narrowed as she watched Megan walk past her.</p>
<p>
‘Hey Cash,” even though she was standing next to him, X raised her voice to make sure Megan heard her as she said, “You have a date to homecoming?”</p>
<p>
“Nah.”</p>
<p>
“You want to go with me?”</p>
<p>
“Uh, yeah. Sure.”</p>
<p>
In the reflection of the mirror positioned next to the door, Megan saw Cash look after her. But she didn’t care. She was with the person that mattered the most to her right now. And it was more important to her that Liz was safe than that she went with Cash to the dance.</p>
<p>
She for sure knew now that she was wasn’t normal, but for once, she didn’t care.</p>
<p>
As she opened the door, X came alongside as she leaned over to whisper, “Relax, it was only some really strong alcohol. But you might want to get her to the hospital. It was some really strong stuff.”</p>
<p>
X patted her shoulder before stepping back to Cash’s side.</p>
<p>
“Let’s get some waffles!”</p>
<p>
____</p><p>Liz kept a firm hold of her as Megan helped walk her to the car.</p>
<p>
“What did I drink?” her voice was low like she was drifting off to sleep.</p>
<p>
“I don’t know. But we might want to get you checked out. Did you just have the one glass?”</p>
<p>
Liz groaned as she held her stomach, “Yeah. I didn’t think I would be such a lightweight.”</p>
<p>
Megan frowned, “I don’t think that has anything to do with it. X said she gave you some pretty strong stuff.”</p>
<p>
Liz swayed her head so that she was looking at Megan, “Your ex?”</p>
<p>
She frowned, “She’s not my X.”</p>
<p>
Liz started to slip as Megan quickly adjusted her hold. She felt Liz’s hand slap against her as she told her, “Woah, watch where you’re grabbing.”</p>
<p>
“Sorry.”</p>
<p>
“Are you?” Liz gave her a crooked smile as her eyes lowered into an expression Megan believed might be called bedroom eyes.</p>
<p>
“If you are worried I’ll drop you, don’t. I’m stronger than I look.”</p>
<p>
“I’ve noticed.”</p>
<p>
She stopped at the car, reaching for the handle as she fixed Liz with a curious expression, “You’ve noticed me? I thought you ignored me.”</p>
<p>
“You’re hard to ignore.”</p>
<p>
She got the door open, Liz feeling like a bag of lemons in her arms as she struggled to keep a hold of her as she helped her into the passenger seat.</p>
<p>
“Because I’m so annoying?”</p>
<p>
Liz let out a groan as she flopped her head to the side so that she was looking at Megan. It reminded her of the scene in Princess Bride where Wesley was still recovering from being partially dead.</p>
<p>
The look she gave Megan made her mouth go dry as she struggled to comprehend what it meant. Flipping her head around again, Liz let her eyes close completely as she started to drift off.</p>
<p>
Panic filled Megan as she wondered if this was one of those cases where it was best for the patient to stay awake. Grabbing Liz’s shoulder she shook her slightly, hearing her let out an annoyed groan as she slapped at her hand.</p>
<p>
“No, don’t try and take it back now. You act all hard and stuff because you are afraid of getting hurt again. Like what happened with your dad. But you are still a big old softie. You fight your mom all the time, but you help her as much as you can with your brother,” as Liz let out an annoyed groan Megan got into the driver’s side, “And you work hard at school, even though you act like nothing matters to you. You are a nice person, Liz Larson, and I like you too.”</p>
<p>
Liz’s eyes came open as she stared at her for a moment. At that point Megan had put the car in reverse as she turned back, holding onto the back of the passenger seat’s headrest so she could see everything behind the car.</p>
<p>
‘You like me?”</p>
<p>
Megan put her foot on the brake as she turned a smile towards the girl, ‘Of course.”</p>
<p>
Liz’s hand lifted to Megan’s cheek, her fingers soft against her skin. As she did moonlight glinted off the rings on her fingers. Her eyes traveled down the set, pausing on her thumb where she usually wore her father’s ring.</p>
<p>
Why had she not worn it today?</p>
<p>
As she started to ask she noticed Liz was closer as she turned her eyes back just as Liz pressed her lips against Megan’s. As soon as their lips touched it was like a parade going off in her chest. Fireworks. Marching band with drums. Trombones. All of that going off as her skin prickled with the sensation of Liz’s mouth pressed to hers.</p>
<p>
Though the fireworks weren’t real, the kiss was. And the way it made her feel—unlike anything she’d felt before.</p>
<p>
As soon as it started it ended as Liz fell back against the seat, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as Megan felt panic replace the marching band, “Liz! Liz!”</p>
<p>
Hardman had warned her again and again: no attachments. Now she was seeing why that was so important.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Megan waits at the hospital with the Larsons</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sounds of the hospital were nothing more than white noise to Megan as she sat in the waiting area.</p>
<p>
The doctor had assured the family that Liz would be alright, “After we’ve pumped her stomach she should be up in a bit.”</p>
<p>
Mrs. Larson tried to assure Megan none of it was her fault as she gripped the sides of her head.</p>
<p>
“It’s mine. I should have listened to Liz.”</p>
<p>
She patted the woman’s arm as she assured her it was not her fault either. Though she smiled like it was no one’s fault she knew she was really the only person to blame. She was the reason Liz was strapped to monitors with an IV drip in her arm.</p>
<p>
Mrs. Larson and Parker left for a moment to walk around the hospital just to “take our mind off things.” Megan remained sitting, thinking over all the things she could have done differently. All the things she could have done to prevent their present situation.</p>
<p>
Footsteps sounded in front of her. Her body tensed as she realized X had come to finish things.</p>
<p>
She was ready for a fight when she looked up to find Roger walking towards her.</p>
<p>
Her body relaxed as she stood, “Roger.” Running over, she hugged him as she said, “I’m so glad to see you.”</p>
<p>
Though he wrapped his arms around her, it felt like he was moving away from her even as they stood still.</p>
<p>
She stepped back.</p>
<p>
“Yeah, well, I know I’m not who you want here,” he mumbled the words as his eyes looked off to the side, “But I’m sure Cash is on his way. Just let Liz know I stopped by.”</p>
<p>
He moved to leave, then stopped, as his shoulders dropped. Reaching up, he brushed his hair back from his forehead before turning to face her.</p>
<p>
“I’m being a jerk. You need Roger the friend right now. And I came here as Roger the jilted boy who thought we could be more than friends. But I don’t want to be the guy who can’t be your friend unless I have a chance to be more than a friend. I wouldn’t really be a truly nice guy if I can’t still treat you like a friend even after you reject me.”</p>
<p>
He let out a tired sigh as he rubbed the back of his head, “If you were one of my guy friends I would be able to be here for you without considering how I might use this to score points with you in order to win you over. But that’s not a real relationship—not a real friendship. And it’s no reason for a person to stick around.”</p>
<p>
As Megan frowned he held up his hands as he assured her, “But I’m not here for that. I was upset when I saw you kissing Cash, but that’s my deal, not yours. I should stop worrying about my hurt feelings over something that I knew deep down wasn’t going to happen. If I can’t get past the fact that we might never be more than friends then I never really was your friend. You don’t need that kind of person in your life.”</p>
<p>
She felt her heart drop as she realized she was losing her friend. Seeing the pain in her eyes he reached out, squeezing her shoulder as he told her, “But I’m not here as crushed Roger. I’m here as friend Roger. Here for my friend Megan. I’m choosing to get over myself. To separate my romantic feelings from my friendship feelings. I’m not going to be the type of guy who gets butt hurt every time I’m reminded that you don’t think of me as more than a friend. I’m here for you, friend Megan.”</p>
<p>
She smiled as he offered her his shoulder. She took it as she cried into his shirt.</p>
<p>
It was really nice to have a friend.</p>
<p>
___</p><p>Megan was sitting in the chair next to Liz’s bed when she heard a groan coming from the bed. Liz’s eyes were open, squinting, as she touched her head then her throat as she winced at the question, “What happened?”</p>
<p>
“You had some really strong alcohol. The doctor says you’re going to be okay,” standing up she told her, “I’ll get your mom.”</p>
<p>
Twenty minutes later, the doctor gave them permission to go home. As Liz finished getting changed she bent down, looking under the bed before starting to search around the room.</p>
<p>
“What’s wrong?” inquired Mrs. Larson.</p>
<p>
“I…my ring. I can’t find my ring.”</p>
<p>
“I didn’t notice you wearing it,” stated Megan.</p>
<p>
Liz’s jaw flexed before she simple said, “It’s fine. I have plenty of rings.”</p>
<p>
As she stayed behind to finish getting ready, Megan followed Mrs. Larson out to the reception to finish checking out.</p>
<p>
“It’s a shame,” mused the woman.</p>
<p>
“What is?”</p>
<p>
“She acts like it’s no big deal, like she doesn’t miss him, but I know she wears that ring to remember him.” Seeing Megan’s brow lower in confusion she explained, “It was her father’s.”</p>
<p>
Megan’s eyes widened, “I’ll go check the car. Maybe it fell off when I was helping her inside.”</p>
<p>
Mrs. Larson gave her a sympathetic smile, “Don’t look too hard. It might be gone for good. Just like her father,” she let out a heavy sigh as she turned to ask the nurse, “What do I put here?”</p>
<p>
Megan headed straight out to the parking lot. Forty-five minutes later she hadn’t found anything. And she knew how to search a car. She’d once had to find a thumb drive hidden in the body of a Lamborghini.</p>
<p>
That meant the ring had to have been lost on their way to the car, somewhere in Gooch’s front yard. It had to be there. She had noticed Liz wasn’t wearing it when they were in the car so she couldn’t have lost it at the hospital when they were removing her jewelry.</p>
<p>
The Larson’s were helping Liz into the car as she met up with them.</p>
<p>
‘I have to do something.”</p>
<p>
Mrs. Larson gave her a look like she couldn’t imagine what else Megan could have going on, “What?”</p>
<p>
“I just…” she looked at Liz who was slouched down in the back seat. Last night’s events still seemed to be affecting her. She didn’t even seem to remember the kiss with how nonchalantly she had acted around Megan that morning. The alcohol seemed to have erased all her memories from the night.</p>
<p>
“I’ll be back,” was the only excuse she managed to come up with before leaving.</p>
<p>
Gooch’s house looked like a ghost house. One where the ghosts had thrown a party before leaving for the afterlife.</p>
<p>
It was a chilly morning as she started to retrace their steps. Now that she thought back, she was Liz had been wearing it when they’d been outside. She had noticed it glint when Liz had lifted her hand to wave goodbye to a bush.</p>
<p>
The grass was only a few inches tall, but she knew it could swallow the ring, making it nearly impossible to find.</p>
<p>
She could see her own breath as she started to crawl on the ground, the morning dew cold as it seeped into her clothes.</p>
<p>
“What are you doing?”</p>
<p>
Looking up she found Gooch standing on his front porch in nothing but boxers.</p>
<p>
“I lost something.”</p>
<p>
“Your mind?” he snorted at his joke, ‘Good luck finding it.” He headed back inside.</p>
<p>
She was fine with that.</p>
<p>
Her knees ached and her whole body was shaking by the time she found the ring. She smiled, holding it up to the light with a triumphant smile.</p>
<p>
“What are you doing?” this time the question came from the other side of the yard. It was Liz who was just then getting out of the car.</p>
<p>
Smiling, she rose as she presented the ring to her, “I know it wasn’t a big deal to you, but, just in case, I found it.”</p>
<p>
Liz stared at the ring, her fingers lingering just in front of it as a mixture of emotions fluttered across her face. Her expression settled on studying as she lifted her eyes to Megan’s.</p>
<p>
“You have been out here for like an hour.”</p>
<p>
“That’s ok. I would have stayed out for five if it took that long.”</p>
<p>
Liz reached out as Megan froze, instantly recalling the night before and the feeling of the girl’s fingers on her cheek. The soft touch of her—Liz’s hand went past her cheek, resting over her ears as she cupped them in her hand. Megan didn’t realize how cold they were till Liz’s hand started to warm them.</p>
<p>
“You must be freezing.”</p>
<p>
She shrugged, “I’ve been colder.”</p>
<p>
Liz gave her a look like she thought she was being weird again. Removing her hands, she frowned as she said, ‘Your ears look even redder now.”</p>
<p>
Megan pressed Liz’s hands against her ears, “Then keep them there.”</p>
<p>
She felt her heart pounding in her chest as they stood there, her hands over Liz’s hands.</p>
<p>
“You find it?”</p>
<p>
Parker’s call from the car brought them both back as Liz hurriedly pulled her hands back, shoving them into her pockets.</p>
<p>
‘Yeah. Come on, let’s go.”</p>
<p>
She motioned with her head for Megan to follow her. With a smile she did.</p>
<p>
____</p><p>“Homecoming is soon. Do you know how to dance?”</p>
<p>
The question came from Liz a few days after the party. They were sitting together on the couch with Parker seated between them watching one of his Avenger’s movies. From the way he quoted the lines along with the characters she suspected he’d seen it a few times.</p>
<p>
“No. But it can’t be that hard, right? It’s just like fighting, but with you working with your partner instead of against.”</p>
<p>
Liz shook her head, “Why are you like this?”</p>
<p>
Megan pressed her lips together as she looked downcast.</p>
<p>
On the other side of Parker, Liz shifted as she stood up, “Alright. If that’s what you think dancing is I better teach you so you don’t embarrass me even more.”</p>
<p>
“Hey,” snapped Parker, “if you are going to keep talking over the movie, leave,” he pointed off to the side while keeping his eyes fixed on the television.</p>
<p>
The two girls obliged as they headed off to Liz’s room. There she put some music on as she instructed Megan to put her hands on her hips.</p>
<p>
When Megan hesitated Liz grabbed her hands, placing them where she wanted them as she said, “Don’t make this weird.”</p>
<p>
But it was weird. It made her pulse quicken as she struggled swallowing.</p>
<p>
Liz started to count out the beat as she instructed Megan how to move and when.</p>
<p>
“I know no one really dances at these things,” admitted Megan as she tried to keep up with Liz even as her head spun.</p>
<p>
Liz let out a yelp when she stepped on her foot, “You sure seem like someone who would be good at this, but you are actually a mess.”</p>
<p>
She tried to laugh, but found it hard to breathe.</p>
<p>
How was this so easy for Liz?</p>
<p>
Why was she so calm, like being this close to Megan was doing nothing to her?</p>
<p>
Did she still not remember the kiss?</p>
<p>
“Liz…”</p>
<p>
Should she remind her?</p>
<p>
No. That was never a good idea.</p>
<p>
“I don’t even have a date to the dance.”</p>
<p>
“Cash hasn’t asked yet? I’m surprised. With how much time you spent with him I would have thought you two might have already coordinated your very own dance routine. I mean, I don’t get why you’re obsessed with him, other than that he looks like the perfect leading man from one of your teen movie fantasies.”</p>
<p>
Megan let out a dreamy sigh as she thought to herself And you would make the perfect leading lady.</p>
<p>
“Sure, he’s cute,” continued Liz, “And part of a band. Yay.” Her tone did not sound like she actually thought it was a good thing, “But he also looks like the ass baby of Criss Angel and Russel Brand.”</p>
<p>
Megan snorted at the comparison, “Yeah, well, I decided I didn’t like him in that way.”</p>
<p>
Liz’s eyebrow lifted, “So you decided on Roger? He seems like a nice guy.”</p>
<p>
“He is, but uh,” she licked her lips, feeling those nervous butterflies again, “we’re just friends. I don’t like him in that way…either.”</p>
<p>
Liz opened her mouth as if to say something, thought better of it, and closed her mouth. That evening her lips had a magenta coloring them. She could still remember the feeling of them as her face went warm.</p>
<p>
“Liz, would you,” another pause to lick her lips. Why was her mouth so dry? “Would you go to the dance with me?”</p>
<p>
Before Liz could react to the question her foot slipped on a stray sock as they both fell onto the ground. Megan groaned as she started to get up, pausing when she found her face hovering inches above Liz’s. The girl’s breath was hot on her skin, hot and sweet. If she leaned in she would be able to feel again what she had that night. To see if it was a fluke or something more.</p>
<p>
Her chest pounded in her ears, crashing into her ribs like it wanted out.</p>
<p>
‘Megan,” Liz let out a low groan, “can you get off me?”</p>
<p>
She hurried to oblige, finding herself pulled back by something as her face slammed into Liz’s chest.</p>
<p>
“Ow!”</p>
<p>
The back of her own head ached as she realized Liz’s elbow was on her hair. Liz realized this too as she lifted her arm as the two were able to untangle their bodies from one another as they sat up.</p>
<p>
“Sorry,” Megan winced as she rubbed the back of her head.</p>
<p>
Liz was rubbing her chest, her lips pursed like she wasn’t happy about anything that had just happened. Megan’s heart dropped back to her feet.</p>
<p>
“About the dance…”</p>
<p>
Her heart stilled, aching with anticipation as Liz said--.</p>
<p>
“Girls. Dinner!”</p>
<p>
Megan followed Liz with her eyes as the girl stood. She remained where she was as Liz paused at the doorway, taking a moment to look back before saying, “Let me think about it.”</p>
<p>
Then she was gone.</p>
<p>
Megan’s shoulders dropped as soon as she was gone. She knew what that kind of answer meant.</p>
<p>
No.</p>
<p>
I’ll think about it always meant no. At Prescott. In the movies.</p>
<p>
Why would it mean anything different here?</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Megan attends a concert with her friends</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The subject of the dance didn’t come up again after that night. And Megan didn’t bring it up.</p>
<p>
She wasn’t scared of most things, but hearing Liz’s answer made her hands shake with fear.</p>
<p>
The weekend before homecoming, Roger invited her and Liz to a concert. She had never been to a live performance before.</p>
<p>
She had once tracked a target to an indoor concert. A small get together compared to this large crowd with its bodies pressing all around and wild mosh pit at the front.</p>
<p>
Roger, Liz, and Megan danced in a circle as they each bobbed along to the music. Megan even let herself get lost in the beat as she let out a carefree laugh. Even though she didn’t know any of the words to the song, or the band that was playing, when her friends started to sing she screamed the words along with them.</p>
<p>
At some point in the night Roger left them to “find the restroom.”</p>
<p>
Liz was the only one left to hear her off key screaming. Shaking her head, the girl laughed as she called out, “You’re such a dork.”</p>
<p>
Over the music she could only make out the first part as she called back, “What?”</p>
<p>
As she leaned in so she could better hear the girl she heard her say, “You,” then the crowd around them moved, knocking into Megan as she crashed into Liz. In the collision she felt something soft against her cheek, immediately she recognized the feeling as being Liz’s lips.</p>
<p>
Liz had just kissed her cheek!</p>
<p>
She pulled back in time to watch Liz’s eyes widen in shock.</p>
<p>
“Uh, sorry. It was an accident.”</p>
<p>
“I know that.”</p>
<p>
Liz’s eyes moved past her, to the space behind her. Seeing the pain in her friends eyes she looked back. A father was standing with his daughter seated on his shoulders so she could see the show.</p>
<p>
Megan looked back, “Let’s move.”</p>
<p>
Liz shook her head, “I’m fine.” Her voice said otherwise.</p>
<p>
‘You’re not. I might not have lost my father, but I know what it feels like to be hurt and left alone.</p>
<p>
Liz’s expression hardened like when Megan had first arrived. Why, when Liz was just starting to treat her like a human again, did she have to push her away again?</p>
<p>
“This isn’t one of your romcoms where you can just talk about it and have everything solved in an hour and fifteen minutes.”</p>
<p>
“I know life doesn’t work that way.”</p>
<p>
“The way you talk about your precious movies says otherwise.”</p>
<p>
“I know life isn’t anything like a romcom,” her eyes stung as she called back, “In movies the couple ends up together and the orphan finds a family.”</p>
<p>
As she felt tears sting her eyes Liz’s expression softened.</p>
<p>
Megan took in a shaky breath to push back the tears as she said, “It sucks your dad left, but you still have your mom and your cool little brother who love you and accept you for who you are. Even when you’re a cranky teenager. I wish I had that.”</p>
<p>
“Megan, I--.”</p>
<p>
Her throat ached with the tears she was holding back as she said, “But I don’t have that. Because this isn’t a romcom, like you said, this is real life. And in real life, at the end, everything goes back to the way it was before. Nothing changes.”</p>
<p>
She heard Liz call after her but she was already moving, and like she’d learned at Prescott, once in motion an object never stopped.</p>
<p>
Outside the concert the air felt cold against her skin as she took in deep breaths to calm her racing heart.</p>
<p>
“Wow. Isn’t this a small world?”</p>
<p>
Megan’s body reflexively tightened at the familiar voice. Slowly she turned to find X standing on the street outside the concert hall. Behind her a group of agents stood with guns on their belts.</p>
<p>
“Megan, I’m sorry,” Liz was coming down the stairs, pausing when she spotted X and the women, “Uh, is everything okay?”</p>
<p>
She cast a questioning look in Megan’s direction.</p>
<p>
X chuckled as she gave Liz a threatening wink.</p>
<p>
Shifting over, Megan placed herself between X and Liz as she lifted her hands, “I give up, X. I’ll go back. Just don’t hurt her.”</p>
<p>
X sneered, “Grab her.”</p>
<p>
Megan didn’t fight as the other agents grabbed her, tying her hands behind her back before pushing her towards the van waiting at the curb. Liz did fight as she tried to pull and push them away from Megan.</p>
<p>
“Stop,” ordered Megan as she shook Liz’s hands off her elbow.</p>
<p>
“Take her too,” instructed X as two of the women holding Megan grabbed Liz, shoving her into the van along with her.</p>
<p>
As the pair landed in the van she heard the ground beneath her let out a grunt of pain. Turning she found she’d landed on Roger.</p>
<p>
Back to the door she saw X give her a cold sneer as she asked, “Why do you have him?”</p>
<p>
“I took him as insurance,” stated X, “I didn’t know your girlfriend would come out with you.”</p>
<p>
The car door closed, cutting off all light as they were left in darkness.</p>
<p>
Shit.</p>
<p>
___</p><p>From the shadows she heard Liz’s sharp tone as she inquired, “What is happening?”</p>
<p>
“I’m not from Canada.”</p>
<p>
She couldn’t see her but knew Liz was rolling her eyes as she said, “Makes sense.”</p>
<p>
“My name isn’t Megan either, it’s Agent W. I’m a fugitive from a quasi-government facility that trains child assassins. I faked my own death on a mission, ran away, and pretended to be an exchange student. I didn’t know how to tell you.”</p>
<p>
The shadows went silent then behind her she heard Roger exhale as he went, “Woah.”</p>
<p>
In front, Liz didn’t sound as excited as she went softly, “I—I see. That. That actually explains a lot.”</p>
<p>
She scooted across the van floor, closer to Liz as she said, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to drag you into this,” her gaze shifted back to the shadows where Roger was, ‘Either of you. I tried really hard to be normal. To not put you in danger.”</p>
<p>
“Well, you did,” Liz’s tone was sharp as Megan perfectly pictured her face, a sour expression on it, “But,” she let out a sigh that seemed to blow away all her anger as her voice softened, “No one is normal. We’re all just faking it, trying not to let on that none of us have our shit together. That none of us know what we are doing.”</p>
<p>
From another spot in the shadows she heard someone snort as X’s voice went, “You’re pathetic.”</p>
<p>
She frowned in the direction of the voice, “Sorry. I just couldn’t be the heartless killing machine you were.”</p>
<p>
A scoff, “Obviously. I don’t know why Hardman has not been able to see that.”</p>
<p>
The more time she spent out of Prescott the more Megan realized how little Hardman saw. More than that, she realized how much she hadn’t seen.</p>
<p>
“I always knew you’d double cross us,” stated X, “Double-U.”</p>
<p>
Liz snorted, “Did you just come up with that one or have you been sitting on it for a while? Either way, that’s really lame.”</p>
<p>
Megan laughed with her, “Yeah, it kind of was.”</p>
<p>
X’s tone was murderous as she growled, “Shut up.”</p>
<p>
___</p><p>Megan shifted, trying to get comfortable in the back of the van. From the darkness she heard Liz shift as well, before she hesitantly asked, “Have you ever killed anyone?”</p>
<p>
“Yeah, a bunch of people,” she only realized after she’d said it that it wasn’t something most people admitted so readily, “Oh, sorry. I don’t mean to sound callous. Trust me, they were horrible people.”</p>
<p>
“Most people are,” stated X.</p>
<p>
Megan had almost forgotten she was still there.</p>
<p>
“Was it hard?”</p>
<p>
“Oh ya, the first one is always the hardest, but I think about it this way, there is no point in waiting for the perfect kill, or trying to make it special. You are just going to set yourself up for failure if you do that. The first time is always going to be messy and you are going to make mistakes. If you let yourself build it up so much in your head, about how wonderful it has to be, you are going to end up doubly disappointed when it happens.”</p>
<p>
“Shut up,” went X. She could picture the girl folding her arms as she looked away with a pout.</p>
<p>
Megan personally knew that X had built up her own first kill in her mind and how different it had been than what she’d expected. There had been no big explosions. No doves floating slowly through the air. Just tons of blood and a dull ache in her heart.</p>
<p>
Not that X would admit that.</p>
<p>
“What you have to do is focus on finding the right method for you. A way of doing things that works for you, that you can use over and again, so it becomes like second nature to you. The more comfortable you are with the method, the crazier you can get with things later, because you can just fall back on that rhythm you’ve come to know. And you can find comfort in knowing that you can do that, that it’s always there for you, something that you know so well. And it just makes you stronger.”</p>
<p>
“Wait, are we still talking about killing or are we talking about sex now?”</p>
<p>
Megan laughed, “You know, I’m not sure anymore.”</p>
<p>
Both girls laughed.</p>
<p>
If it wasn’t for the shadows she would be looking into Liz’s eyes. Eyes which would have looked like the sea at night. Shimmering, glowing, and just so inviting she wanted to dive right in.</p>
<p>
____</p><p>When the van stopped the three were roughly escorted into a warehouse. Inside, Hardman dramatically stepped from the shadows as he fixed a hard look on Megan.</p>
<p>
“Agent W, you have let me down.”</p>
<p>
“I could say the same of you.”</p>
<p>
Hardman frowned so hard Megan instinctively dropped her eyes to the ground.</p>
<p>
“Why did you run away?”</p>
<p>
She felt everything she’d ever wanted to say to him spill out as she said, “You deprived me of my childhood. I couldn’t just raise my hand and say, excuse me, sir; I don’t think I want to be an assassin. Can I be excused from this secret mountain killing school?”</p>
<p>
Hardman scoffed, “Can we just stop the water works? Who are you working for?”</p>
<p>
She frowned as she realized Hardman still didn’t hear her, “Nobody. I’m not working for anybody. Okay, I worked for Sbarro over the summer for some cash, but that was it.”</p>
<p>
“Aziz Savar Sbarro?” went Hardman in disbelief, “When the hell were you in Lebanon?”</p>
<p>
“She means Sbarro pizza, “stated X dryly, “it’s the world’s largest mall based Italian pizza chain. They make amazing garlic knots.”</p>
<p>
Megan nodded, smiling at X as she agreed, “Amazing.”</p>
<p>
Seeing Hardman still didn’t understand, she told him, “I just wanted to be normal,” her voice broke on the words as she felt frustrated tears fill her eyes.</p>
<p>
Hardman frowned, “Stop that. Prescott’s don’t cry. Why is she crying?”</p>
<p>
He looked to X for clarity as she told him, “Her struggle to find her own identity. The emotional turbulence of a first crush?” she glanced back at Roger and Liz, “Maybe she watched the Notebook too many times. Adolescence is a very volatile time for a young woman,” she looked at Megan, for a moment the two exchanged a meaningful look, both knowing what the other was going through. Then her expression went hard as she told Hardman, “She’s nothing more than a weak minded failure. It would be best to terminate her and move on.”</p>
<p>
As Hardman looked to consider her words, Megan told him, “You can’t just take me. A missing girl in a small town could throw up all kinds of red flags. Just let me go. I promise I won’t say anything.”</p>
<p>
He shook his head, “You know I can’t do that,” his eyes traveled past her, back to where Liz and Roger stood, “Are they part of the Eastern Block? Langley?”</p>
<p>
Megan let out a long groan, “I’m not working for anyone, okay? They are just regular civilians.”</p>
<p>
“Why don’t we just skip the lies and get to the part where you surrender your sources or,” he motioned to Liz, “we start causing casualties.”</p>
<p>
“Like you’re not going to kill them regardless of what I do. No witnesses, right? We are a secret organization. You can’t just be letting civilians leave with that information.”</p>
<p>
He chuckled darkly, “See, this is why you were my best agent. Shame. Real shame you had to go and betray me after all I did for you. We were your family.”</p>
<p>
She let out a snort, “I may have once believed that lie, but now that I’ve experienced it—I know Prescott is nothing like a family.”</p>
<p>
Hardman’s expression was like stone. She knew what was coming next before he said it.</p>
<p>
‘Just shoot them all.”</p>
<p>
As X raised her gun, Megan leapt over her tied hands so they were in front of her as she ran at the other Agent as she knocked the gun out of her hand. As it hit the ground she dove for it, picking it up as she pointed it up at Hardman. By that time the other agents had their guns trained on her.</p>
<p>
“Okay, there’s no reason to kill them,” she pointed the gun up to signal she wasn’t going to use it, “I’ll put the gun down. Just don’t shoot them. They don’t even know what’s going on.”</p>
<p>
Hardman’s expression didn’t change. But she’d never been able to convince him before, why would it change now?</p>
<p>
But there was one person she had yet to give up on.</p>
<p>
Turning her eyes towards X, she pleaded, “I never wanted to be your rival. It was Hardman who pitted us against each other. I just wanted a sister. A friend.”</p>
<p>
X’s face was as hard as their trainer, “A friend like you were in Istanbul?”</p>
<p>
“Istan…” just as soon as she questioned it she remembered the mission, “I told you to duck.”</p>
<p>
Turning, she got to her feet as she leapt at Liz, knocking her to the ground as she ordered Roger to, “Get down!”</p>
<p>
As soon as her and Liz were on the ground X pulled out her backup gun as she fired. Her first bullets took out two of the agents. On the ground Megan hit two other women with her own shots before both her and X turned to train their gun’s on Hardman.</p>
<p>
“Finally working together, I see,” Hardman said it in a derisive snort.</p>
<p>
“What do we do with him now?” asked X as she kept her gun fixed on Hardman as Megan tried to free her hands.</p>
<p>
That’s when they heard a gun go off. She looked up just in time to see the smoke coming off the hole in Hardman’s forehead. As he dropped to the ground, Knox stood behind him, gun raised.</p>
<p>
Her smile was cold as she told them, “Drop the guns or I shoot the civilians.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Neither Megan nor X lowered their guns as Megan asked, “Why are you here, Knox?”</p><p>
“Oh, I have a whole list of reasons, but why don’t we settle on revenge? You know, you can call me Victoria. Hell, why don’t we get real familiar. Why don’t you call me Agent A? After all, that is what Hardman used to call me.”</p><p>
The teens exchanged looks as Megan voiced what they were both thinking, “You’re a Prescott.”</p><p>
“The original,” stated Knox with an arrogant smile, “We actually have a lot in common. I also left the agency because of love. Not for a civilian, but for another agent. We were in love. And when the academy found out, they took her out. All because they couldn’t have their best agent distracted. Then they thought after that I would be a good complacent worker and go back to doing whatever they said,” she let out a derisive snort, “But I was not going to be compliant. I see what happened with me didn’t teach them any lessons for the next generation.”</p><p>
“Are you planning to torture us with a long speech so we just end up shooting ourselves?” inquired X.</p><p>
Knox chuckled darkly, “I like you. In another timeline we might have even worked well together.”</p><p>
“Doubt it.”</p><p>
“Knox,” the woman looked at Megan as she got her attention, “just please let us go. We won’t stop your escape.”</p><p>
Knox laughed, “Oh, that’s cute. But I can’t really leave loose ends. You think I’ve been building up territories and collecting all those weapons for nothing? No, I’ve been doing it to become strong enough to take down Prescott. And,” her hold of the gun became firmer as she pointed it at Megan, “you both are Prescott’s so you are going to have to go.”</p><p>
Megan was already on top of Liz, but Roger was still off to the side lying on the ground. She wouldn’t be able to protect them both.</p><p>
“Okay,” Megan put her gun on the ground before kicking it away, “You’re right. We do have a lot in common.”</p><p>
X frowned as Megan gave her a look. Rolling her eyes she let out a sigh as she knelt down, putting her own gun down before kicking it away.</p><p>
Both of them raised their hands as Megan asked, “Didn’t you and your girlfriend discuss living a normal civilian life?”</p><p>
“We discussed seeing the world in the normal tourist way, instead of through a sniper scope. But you know you can’t have a normal life,” she motioned with her gun to Hardman’s body, “I killed him, but you know he’s just a small fish. There are people higher than him in the organization and they won’t let any of us go. You leave them, you still live the same life you had before, kill or be killed.”</p><p>
She felt as if a bag of rocks had been tied to her heart and it was being pulled deeper and deeper into the cold water.</p><p>
The woman was right. She would never escape this life.</p><p>
‘You’re right. But please, let them go,” she motioned to Liz and Roger.</p><p>
Knox snorted, “For once I have to agree with Hardman. I can’t just let them go.”</p><p>
Megan got up, moving off to the side to draw Knox’s attention away from the civilian pair, “Come on. Hardman is never right. They won’t say anything.”</p><p>
“Yeah, we won’t say anything,” chirped Roger.</p><p>
“But, please, kill me. I can’t go back to that life.”</p><p>
“Megan, no,” called Liz.</p><p>
“I’ve had freedom and I can’t go back to serving someone who makes me kill people. Just put me out of my misery.”</p><p>
Knox frowned, “That’s a shame. But if it’s what you want.”</p><p>
Before she could fire, X shot Knox’s hand causing her to drop her weapon. The gun in front of X was still on the ground, it seemed she’d learned to keep a secret third weapon.</p><p>
As Knox cried out, Megan charged, knocking her to the ground as she pinned her down.</p><p>
“You did it. You helped me.”</p><p>
“Okay, so you’re not the only one with attachments,” X gave her a crooked smile.</p><p>
‘What do we do with her now?” asked Megan as X came over to tie up Knox.</p><p>
‘Hardman was obsessed with her,” stated X, “We could say they were in cahoots. That the only reason he brought her in was because she was double crossing him. We couldn’t stop her before she shot him, but we took her down before she could get away.”</p><p> 
It was a good idea, but Megan knew Knox was right. This wasn’t a life one could just leave.</p><p>
As X tied up Knox, Megan heard the other agents groan as they started to get up. They all had been wearing bullet proof vests and were finally coming to.</p><p>
“Get out of here,” ordered X, “I’ll take care of this.”</p><p>
Megan grabbed Liz’s hand as she pulled her out while motioning for Roger to follow. Pausing for a moment, she looked back at Hardman’s body as she told him, “See, I told you she was a better agent,” she gave X a smile.</p><p>
The girl frowned, ‘Don’t try to butter me up. We’re still not friends.”</p><p>
“Seriously, after all this?”</p><p>
“We’re not rivals anymore, since it’s obvious you are beneath me.”</p><p>
She let out a sigh, “I guess that’s something.”</p><p>
The two exchanged a smile before Megan hurried out after Liz and Roger.</p><p>
Outside the warehouse, Liz helped untie her hands as Roger gushed over all that had happened.</p><p>
‘I can’t believe you are a secret agent. That is just so cool.”</p><p>
As soon as Megan’s hands were free Liz moved away as Roger came closer, grabbing onto her arm as he shook her.</p><p>
“The way you just shot those other agents. Blat! Blat!”</p><p>
This was the part of the movie where the romantic leads kissed. Where they would be overcome with joy at surviving the harrowing experience. It would start with an embrace and as they pulled away they would draw in close again to kiss.</p><p>
But she didn’t want to kiss Roger. He wasn’t the one she wanted to talk to about this. Wasn’t even close to being the person she wanted standing in front of her gushing over all that she’d accomplished.</p><p>
She looked at Liz, willing her to turn back to look at her, but her gaze remained fixed on a street lamp in the distance.</p><p>
“Sorry, Roger, just give me a minute.”</p><p>
Liz finally turned when she heard the crunch of Megan’s footsteps coming up behind her.</p><p>
“So, trained assassin, huh? Thank God you didn’t get pissed and bump me off,” she said it with a smile, which faded as she asked, “Why did you come?”</p><p>
“I saw the family photo. You guys looked really happy and I wanted to be a part of that. But I never wanted this,” she motioned back at the warehouse, “I’m really sorry.”</p><p>
Her eyes burned as Liz reached out and squeezed her arm, “Everything is fine. I’m fine. I mean, really, I shouldn’t need too much therapy after this.”</p><p>
“Hardman was right. Attachments are dangerous. Not for me, but for you. I was just too stupid to listen. I have to leave.”</p><p>
Liz kept a hold of her arm as she started to move away, ‘Don’t leave.”</p><p>
She shook her head, unable to look at her now as she said, “It’s the only way to keep you and your family safe.”</p><p>
Liz’s hold tightened, “Bullshit. Look, I’m sorry that this is not working out the way you always imagined it, but life is messy and doesn’t give free passes to anyone no matter how many language you speak, or whether or not you can kill someone with a hula hoop.”</p><p>
She could.</p><p>
She had.</p><p>
“Abandoning people is not how you help them,” she could hear the break in Liz’s voice, “Leaving is what hurts. Trust me.”</p><p>
“There are going to be people coming after me. I can’t stay.”</p><p>
“I mean,” Liz brushed her hair from her face before tossing her hands up, “You survived high school, right? How bad could this be?”</p><p>
Megan’s smile crooked to the side, “High school isn’t even as terrible as this, Liz. I know it’s a throw away joke, but this is actual real life or death circumstances here. This isn’t, will Billy Madsen ask me out to the dance and if he doesn’t I could die. No, this is literal death and not just mine, but also yours. If they find out I have attachments, to you, to your family, they will get rid of you in order to get to me. I can’t risk that.”</p><p>
Liz’s voice broke again as she pulled at Megan’s arm, “Please don’t go. We can—we can work this out together.”</p><p>
She shook her head as she finally, begrudgingly pulled her arm free of Liz’s hands, “No. I don’t want to put you and your family in anymore danger.”</p><p>
“They’re not just my family. They are your family. Let us decide how much danger we are willing to face.”</p><p>
Megan fully turned to face her, unable to believe what she had just said, “My…family?”</p><p>
“You know, I didn’t like you at first, but through it all I can’t help but think how much better my life is with you in it. And I know Parker loves you and Mom adores you. Please, come home.”</p><p>
She turned away, biting her lip as she considered the offer. It was tempting. Tempting and dangerous. Two words she knew that could end in disaster if she pursued them.</p><p>
“I’m sorry, Liz. I never should have put you guys in this situation. I have to go.”</p><p>
Out of the corner of her eye she watched Liz move closer as she reached out, taking Megan’s hand in hers. She felt a spark course through her body as Liz rubbed the back of her hand with her thumb.</p><p>
“I don’t…I don’t want to lose you too.” Her voice broke at the end as Megan realized she was thinking about her father.</p><p>
‘I’m going to come back.”</p><p>
Now Liz was looking away, her eyes glistening with tears, ‘You say that, but can you guarantee it?”</p><p>
She couldn’t.</p><p>
And she shouldn’t even pretend that she could.</p><p>
“I’ve been confused every day since I came here. And I know there is still a lot to explain, but for the first time in my life I’m starting to realize who I am and what I want. And what I want is to tell you…Liz, you are amazing.”</p><p>
Liz smiled, “That’s so weird. But also cool. Fine. Go. Just promise me, if you can come back you will.”</p><p>
Megan squeezed her hands, “I promise.”</p><p>
Liz looked to hesitate for a moment then in one quick movement she leaned forward, planting a quick kiss on Megan’s lips.</p><p>
Megan smiled to herself as she touched her mouth. Liz really did have the reflexes of a spy.</p><p>
“I will be back, Liz Larson. For you I will always come back.”</p><p><br/>
</p><p>Adolescence is a confusing time. It’s a wonder anyone makes it out alive.</p><p>
In the end, Hardman was right. Attachments are dangerous. They mean you care about something, but the people we care about are the ones that make life worth living.</p><p>
And hey, what’s wrong with living dangerously?</p><p><br/>
</p><p>The End</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I had a lot of fun writing this, I hope you had fun reading it.<br/>And I'm not going to make any promises about it being soon, but the "studio" has approved a sequel, so, here's looking forward to that. <br/>In the meantime, I have a lot of other wlw fanfics to pass the time. Until then, have fun!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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